Read My Mind
by Gemmi92
Summary: He had saved her that one night and had sensed an opportunity to end his years of emptiness. It was only when he met her did he begin to realise that he might have something to live for. Godric/OC
1. Chapter 1

She should have kept her mouth shut. She knew as soon as she had spoken that she should have said nothing. She had been sat around the dining table, his hand clamped down on her thigh as her teeth ground together and she struggled to find a way to remove it from her skin. She had squirmed for a moment as his cold skin clasped around her bare thigh after pushing her dress up. She had looked to him and he had glanced back to her, but she had only smiled when she saw the angry gleam in his eye.

He had softened then, his thumb roaming over her skin slowly as she struggled not to openly long to sob. The restaurant they had gone to was fancy, much fancier than she liked. She had grown up dining on fine foods, but as soon as she had attended college that had changed. She had done everything in her power to change and become a different person than her parent's had raised her to be. But then they had told her of her duty.

She had complained. She had thrown fits of rage. But then she had stopped. She had stopped as soon as her father had struck her. There had then been the threats while she remained on the floor. The threats that if she dared to go against them that they would harm the very things she loved most. It was during her time in college when she had fallen in love.

Naturally, she could not fall in love with a college frat boy. She had to fall in love with the very thing her parents despised most. She had fallen hard and heavily. She had done nothing but love him and he had told her that he loved her back. Of course, that turned out to be false. She should have known that if he loved her then he would never have let her go. Then again, how was he to know what her parents had done? She had called things off. She had left him. She had broken her own heart.

The threats of being penniless, homeless and jobless did not bother her. So long as she had him then she was fine. But then they had threatened his life and they knew how to push her buttons. She had been engaged for almost six months and during that time she wondered what it would be like to end it all. She saw no other option. She saw no other out.

Her life would now simply be filled with dinners with the likes of Steve and Sarah Newlin. Her fiancé just so happened to be her father's trusted advisor and seven years her senior. He worked with Martin Jones in office. Her father was a Senator for Texas. Her mother was his muse. His daughter would be an embarrassment if people knew the truth. As one of the most vocal anti-vampire Senators, he could not be seen to have a fangbanging whore of a daughter.

"You know, we just love the message that your father is giving," Sarah Newlin cooed, but the young woman remained distant, her eyes set into the distance. It was only when she felt her fiancé squeeze her thigh did she turn to look to him, her eyes wide.

"Yes?" she asked, her tone curt.

"Sarah was just speaking with you, Amelia."

Amelia Jones let her blue eyes widen as she turned her head to Sarah Newlin. Plastering a smile onto her face, she tilted her head to the side and Sarah kept her hand in Steve's, the young couple looking to Amelia.

"I apologise, Miss Newlin," Amelia said, her tone sickly sweet as her husband's fingers continued to grip her tightly. "I just found my miles away for a moment."

"It's fine," Sarah said. "And please, call me Sarah. We don't need to stand on formalities here. I was just saying that I applaud the work that your father does."

"Do you really?" Amelia asked, her elbows resting on the table as she let her chin rest in her hand. "Well, daddy has been a tireless advocate of bringing vampire behaviour to the forefront of the public. Of course, he knows how dangerous they are, but people are just so reluctant to listen."

"We are trying to push the message," Amelia felt her stomach churn as she heard her fiancé speak from next to her. She looked over to him as he continued the conversation, refusing to let her leave. "We are holding rallies wherever possible and there seems to be a big push back against vampires here in Dallas. I know that we need to do everything in our power to stop them."

"Which is why," Steve drawled out, "the Fellowship of the Sun wants to join you and help you."

"Martin has been very interested in hearing about your proposals."

"And us his, Daniel. Us his."

"They're not all the same," Amelia said, but as soon as she had spoken, she wished that she had not bothered. She wished that she had kept quiet. She knew that she should have kept her mouth shut as she felt Daniel's grip on her increase. Looking over to Sarah and Steve, she saw the shock in their eyes as she gulped. "I mean…not all vampires are the same."

"Excuse me?" Steve Newlin asked from her.

"Well, it is like humans," she said, despite Daniel's increasing grip. "Not all humans are good, are they?"

"Vampires are the spawn of Satan, my dear," Steve said, hands flat on the table as he struggled to contain himself at hearing her. "All of them are demon children. How do you not recognise that? How do you not see it?"

"I…" Amelia trailed off as she felt her blood turn cold at the glare Daniel was sending her. "I apologise."

"My fiancée is weak natured," Daniel said, leaning forwards and flattening his tie against his chest before brushing his blond hair back on top of his head. A bead of sweat fell down his forehead as he struggled to comprehend what he was hearing from her. "She is docile and too tender. She attempts to see the good in everyone…even the vile creatures."

Amelia simply smiled and apologised for her behaviour, knowing full well that she would be punished for it later on.

…

Returning back to the gated house, Amelia allowed Daniel to berate her for her behaviour that evening. Thankfully her parents were already asleep and they didn't wake, or if they were awake, did not care, for Daniel yelling at their daughter. Amelia had braced herself for him to strike her, but it never came. Instead he left her in her room and went down for a drink.

But Amelia had no intention of staying put. She had pulled plenty of stunts like the one she was about to pull before. She knew exactly how to escape the gated house without her father's security catching on. There would be nights when she would go out and meet her college friends, drinking until the early morning. She would always be back before her parents woke. Besides, she didn't care what they thought, only that they might catch her and discover the hole in security.

She sent a text to Maria, asking her if she was out on the Friday night. She had said she was and Amelia had told her to wait for her in the club she was currently in. Changing out of the evening gown she had been wearing, Amelia scanned her wardrobe for something much more suitable for her night time activities.

…

Walking alone in Dallas was usually considered safe enough. There were the areas of town where vampires went out, but Amelia stayed away from those. She knew no good would come of going near them. So long as she stayed on the human side of town, she knew she would be safe. After slipping down the trellis to the ground, Amelia had slipped her heels on and snuck out via a gap in the fence by the rose bush, running along the lawn onto the sidewalk and then out of view.

She was now about ten minutes away from where Maria said she was. There were revellers everywhere, making her feel slightly safer than before. She chewed down on her lip and kept her head down, hoping that no one would recognise her. She tried to stay out of the limelight when it came to her father, but she sometimes found it difficult considering he forced her to go along with her fiancé to debates and meetings.

Standing around in the queue to the club, Amelia folded her arms over herself, wishing she had brought a shawl of some kind. The night air was slightly cool as she rocked back and forth on her high heels. It was another few moments before she felt her cell begin to vibrate in her clutch. Tugging it out, she saw Maria was calling and she placed the cell to her ear.

"Maria?" she answered.

"Where the hell are you?"

"In the queue for Macy's," she answered, but the phone began to crackle, the reception not very good due to the imposing buildings and the queue leading underground. "Where are you?"

"Babe, we moved on from there. I sent you a text. Did you not get it?"

"Reception is lousy," Amelia said and began to move up the steps and back to the street. "Where are you? I'll come and meet you."

"Hello? Amelia?" Maria said down the phone.

"I'm here."

"Ames! Come on!" Maria snapped, but then her voice went fuzzy and the call disconnected.

Groaning to herself, Amelia tossed her head back and began moving down the street. She kept her eyes on her cell, longing for some reception as she held the device above her head. As she kept on walking, no text or call came through. She let out a frustrated expletive before realising she should maybe just hail a cab home.

As she crossed the road, she saw a cab, but it moved off before she could grab it.

"Great," she complained turning on the spot.

It was only when she turned did she someone stood right behind her. She shrieked loudly at the sight, her hand going to her chest as she let out deep breaths. "Sorry," she said as she saw him. "You scared me."

The tall man remained silent. Dressed in jeans and a white polo shirt, his hair was blonde and cut short to his head. But his eyes were staring straight at her. Amelia frowned and then pointed back down the street. She was about to say she was going, but then realised she owed this guy nothing. She began moving, but as soon as she took one step, a hand was around her wrist, tugging her backwards. She grunted in pain as she felt herself being whirled around.

"It is you," he said, his voice low. "Amelia Jones."

"Do I know you?" she asked from him.

He chuckled. "No, but I know your daddy."

Amelia was about to ask how, but then she saw him. With a loud click she recognised all to well, fangs appeared from his mouth. Amelia wanted to scream, but the vampire was quick. In moments he had her down a dark alley, her back to the wall as she screamed loudly against his palm. He moved with haste then, keeping her pinned by his weight.

"I know all about your daddy," he hissed. "Don't worry. I'm not going to kill you…just take a little bite so that you can go home crying…"

Amelia felt tears in her eyes before she moved with haste. She still had her clutch in her hands. Fiddling with it as she felt his warm breath on her neck, she popped it open before she felt his fangs dig into her flesh. She did scream then, fear taking hold of her as her reaction grew more frantic. Her hands fumbled in her clutch before she found what she was looking for.

Pulling out the silver spray, she kneed the vampire in the groin, distracting him enough to get him to pull his fangs from her so that she could spray his face with silver. He screamed in pain then as she ran from the alley. But she didn't get far. As she came to the end of it, she bumped straight into a hard chest. Toppling backwards, she looked up to see a man stood there. Wondering what he was, Amelia watched as his eyes remained fixed on the vampire in the alley.

"You little bitch!" he roared. "I'll make you pay for that."

His threats soon died down as he lowered his hands from his face and saw the man staring straight back at him. It took a second before Amelia saw a hand extend in front of her. Whoever this man was, he was powerful enough to make the vampire shut up. Hesitantly, Amelia took his hand and he hauled her to her feet in seconds, watching her as her blonde hair bobbed around her shoulders in curls. He dropped her hand from his as he stepped in front of her.

"What were your intentions with this young woman?" he asked from the vampire.

"Nothing, Sheriff," the man said with firm shakes of his head. "I just…"

"Judging by her reaction and the fear in her eyes, I would say that she did not wish to be drank from. Did you force yourself upon her?"

The vampire stammered then. "But…do you know who she is?"

"I know perfectly well who she is," he responded, his voice calm and collected. "However, that does not give you the right to violate her in such a manner. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Sheriff."

"You will answer for your crimes in the evening tomorrow. Report to me at sunset."

"Of course, Sheriff."

"Now leave and retract your fangs. Wipe your mouth. I do not wish for you to draw attention to yourself."

The vampire sped off then, whizzing past Amelia as she shrieked again out of fear. The vampire remained behind as he looked to her.

"You have nothing to fear, Miss Jones," he spoke in the same calm tone he had used with the vampire just now. Amelia felt herself gulp as she watched him tug out a handkerchief from the pocket of his jeans. He handed it to her and nodded to her neck. "For the blood."

Amelia nodded, still dumbfounded as she placed the material to her neck, feeling it sting slightly.

"Did he harm you in any other way?"

"No," Amelia shook her head. "Thank you…for coming."

His lips quirked then. "It appeared that you had it under control, Miss Jones."

"How do you know who I am?" she dared to ask from him.

His lips remained upturned. "You are quite well known in the vampire community, Miss Jones. Although I must say that it is not safe for you to be wandering the streets alone at night, even in the predominately human quarters."

Nodding, she shifted the tissue against her skin. "I guess not," she spoke.

"Where is your security detail?"

"Back at home," she said and his brows arched upwards. "What? I know what you're thinking. I know what everyone thinks."

"Enlighten me," he said to her.

"I'm not like them," she said with a shake of her head. "I'm nothing like them, but…but that's all I will be known as…because of what they did…what they would do…and I don't know how to escape."

She knew that she was taking no sense to him. She was hardly talking in sentences. He stepped closer to her then and she saw how truly pale his face was, but his eyes were a brown and striking colour.

"Are you certain you are well?" he wondered from her.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"It just seems that you are not talking coherently."

"Because I'm not," she whispered. "But don't worry…I'm fine. I need to go back home."

"Allow me to take you," he spoke with her.

She shook her head. "I can get a cab," she said.

"After what one of my kind has just done, I would prefer to drive you. Please, Miss Jones, you have it on my honour as a Sheriff that no further harm shall come to you."

Looking to the black SUV on the sidewalk, she wondered just who this man was and how he had known what was happening down the alley that Amelia had been dragged into. Biting down on her lip, she saw his face soften slightly.

"I sense your hesitance," he said to her. "However, I could glamour you. Make no mistake, you will be returning home safely. Please."

"I don't even know who you are," she said and shook her head.

"I am Godric," he responded to her. "Please, Miss Jones, climb in."

"Sorry," Amelia said with a shake of her head as she spotted a cab and stepped out to hail it as Godric continued to look to her. The cab slowed down and pulled over as Godric watched her. "It's not that I don't trust you…but I'm not…well…yeah…I just don't trust you."

Godric did smirk at hearing her then. "But thank you," she said to him. "For stopping him."

"You're welcome, Miss Jones," he nodded his head. "However, I would like to meet with you again. I have a proposition that I would like to discuss."

"With me?"

"To begin with, yes," he nodded and she blinked as Godric saw the confusion on her face. "I will be in touch."

"How?" she wondered as he climbed into his own car.

"Quite easily," he responded.

She didn't get to question him any further as he left and she climbed into her own cab. She closed her eyes and contemplated what the hell had just happened before she gave the address for her house.

…

A/N: New story so do let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

Amelia chewed down on her bottom lip as she sat at her dressing table the following morning. Her hands were toying with her hair; trying to figure out the best way she could hide the bite marks on her neck. She kept sighing loudly as her fingers ran over them, wondering if she should have asked the vampire last night to heal them for her. Shaking her head, she thought back to him. He had told her his name was Godric, but he had offered her nothing else. She had heard that he was some kind of Sheriff. She knew how Sheriffs protected certain areas and reported to the King or Queen, but that was as much as she remembered.

Finally, she settled on letting her hair hang loose, parting it so one clump hung over one shoulder and another clump hung over the other. Standing up, she pulled her robe tightly around her body and reached for something to wear from her wardrobe. Opting for a shirt with a collar, she shrugged out of her robe and pulled it over her. She buttoned it up and noted how the collar just managed to conceal her wound.

Combined with her hair, she hoped she had done enough to stop her parents from seeing them. Of course, she had scars in other places, but they were concealed. The only time someone had seen them was when Daniel had tried to be intimate with her and she had refused him. He had looked at her with disgust, recoiling slightly as he realised what she had done in her past.

Not that she cared. Amelia had no interest in what he thought. She had told him that it was only proper for them to wait until marriage if they were going to be intimate. He had scoffed and told her how he knew she was not innocent, but she didn't care. She didn't care what he thought. Instead she had rebutted him and told him that, despite what her parents thought of her, she doubted they would let him force himself on her.

"Amelia."

Looking to the door as she finished slipping her heels onto her feet, she saw her mother stood there. Her blonde hair was neatly coiffed on top of her head, revealing her slender neck. She had on a grey skirt suit with black heels on her feet. Looking to her daughter, Marianna Jones felt a pang of sadness at the sight of her. Her daughter looked nothing like the little girl she had raised. There was no light in her eyes now. There was nothing apart from emptiness. It had been that way since her father had threatened her boyfriend.

"We need to go," Marianna informed Amelia. "Your father is giving a speech at a luncheon today. How was dinner last night?"

"Fine," Amelia said and Marianna sauntered into the room, noticing that her daughter's collar was not straight. Before Amelia could slap her mother's hands away, she was already playing with the collar. But she noticed it before Amelia could say anything.

Marianna moved a hand over the wound, her fingers toying with it lightly as she looked at her daughter with wide eyes. "Amelia, what the hell is this?"

"Please," Amelia said with haste, moving her mother's hand from her as she walked to her bedroom door and closed it, turning the key in the lock and resting her back against the wood. Her mother continued to watch her as Amelia closed her eyes. "This isn't what it looks like."

"You're not seeing him still, are you?" Marianna asked, a sense of fear in her voice as she looked to her daughter. "You're not still seeing Will?"

"Of course not," Amelia hissed. "Did you think that I would even risk him?"

"Then how did you get those marks?" her mother continued to push her.

"I…" Amelia began and trailed off as her mother's face softened and she saw something akin to fear. "I snuck out…after the meal last night."

Shock then formed on Marianna's face as Amelia went back to sit at her dressing table, fiddling with the collar of her shirt as her mother continued to glare at her. Amelia knew full well that her mother would not be pleased with what she had done. She could almost sense the anger. It was then when Marianna sat down on the bench besides her, gulping as she tried to calm herself. She knew that there would be no use in getting angry with Amelia. She had tried anger before and it never worked.

"You snuck out?" she echoed.

"I snuck out," Amelia confirmed to her. "I was going to meet Maria in the safe part of town, but I…well…I bumped into a vampire who doesn't particularly like daddy. He let me know what he thought when he bit me."

"Amelia," Marianna sounded appalled as her daughter shrugged, almost as though what had happened was nothing of importance. "How did you even get out?"

"I had silver spray," Amelia said. "And another vampire helped me. He was the Sheriff of that area. I got a cab straight home. Nothing really happened."

"Nothing happened?" Marianna snapped. "Amelia, what could have happened if…what if…God…it does not bear thinking about what could have happened…"

"But nothing happened," Amelia continued. "Mommy, nothing happened and I am fine. Please, just do not tell daddy or Daniel. Do not tell them."

"You want me to keep secrets from your father?" Marianna asked. "Amelia, I do not entirely feel comfortable with doing that. He should know…"

"But why?" she demanded to know from her. "All that he would do is yell at me and perhaps hit me."

"Your father would never hurt you."

"You know that is not true," she said with a shake of her head. "You know full well that he has hit me before. You know what he is like…why can you not see it? Why can you not see him?"

Marianna shook her head then. "He is your father."

"He tried to ruin my life," Amelia said. "In fact, he is still trying. Mommy, you know that I do not want to marry Daniel. Please…I only wanted Will. I would have left. I would have gone away quietly, but that was not enough, was it?"

"You would have been discovered and your father would have been disgraced. Amelia, if you could have found anyone else but a vampire…anyone else…"

"I did not want anyone else," Amelia responded. "I only wanted him."

"Don't," Marianna urged from her daughter, moving to rest a hand over her fingers. "I know, Amelia. I know how it hurts you to be here. I know how you do not want to marry Daniel. I know."

"Then please," Amelia pleaded, realising that this was the closest she had managed to get to her mother. "Please do not make me marry him. Do not do this to me…I can go…I can just leave."

"He needs you, Amelia," Marianna said. "He needs you to help him."

"I do not want to help him," Amelia said. "I want to go and do what I wanted to do. I want to go and teach, mommy. I want to go and teach and be normal…not paraded around like the perfect daughter."

"Amelia, this is not the life I pictured for you either," Marianna admitted in a whisper. "It is not the life I wanted for myself either, but there is nothing we can do now. We can only accept it and realise how lucky we both are."

Amelia shook her head. What use was there in arguing with her? She was never going to turn to her way of thinking. She was never going to do it and Amelia would have been better off keeping her thoughts to herself. It took a few moments before Marianna spoke again.

"Your father has invited Steve and Sarah Newlin for dinner this evening. Daniel said they wished to speak business with him. Apparently the Fellowship of the Sun are keen to throw their support behind your father."

"I don't doubt it," Amelia said. "They were both batshit crazy."

Marianna scoffed then and hit her daughter gently on the arm before Amelia looked to her. A smirk sat on Amelia's face and Marianna's lips quirked then as she let out a soft laugh and nodded.

"I gathered that from the interviews he does with the AVL."

"He lives up to those in person. I promise."

"Well, this should be entertaining," Marianna whispered and moved to her feet. "Come on, your father will be wondering where we are."

…

He found himself sat at his desk in his nest, his pen in his fingertips as he wrote down his notes. He had dealt with the vampire from the previous night as his mind wandered back to the girl. Amelia Jones was constantly on television and Godric had recognised her as soon as he had seen her. Looking up, Godric found his attention drawn to the TV in the corner of the office. He had left it on the news channel and he couldn't help but let his ears prick up as soon as her name had been spoken.

"And Martin Jones has just arrived with his former doctor wife, Marianna Jones. Behind him is his daughter Amelia, an English Literature graduate from New York College with her fiancé, and Jones's campaign manager, Daniel Rushford."

Godric let his eyes wander towards the girl. She wore a collared shirt tucked into a black skirt. His lips quirked at seeing her, knowing that she was trying to hide the marks. Her heels were high and her hair was neatly coiffed. She looked nothing like the girl he had seen the previous night. She was dressed conservatively in comparison to her short dress from the previous night. Her fiancé had her arm tucked into his tightly, his eyes set down on her. But she was looking anywhere else as she took a seat at the head table in the room.

Her fiancé sat down next to her while her father took to the podium just in front of the table. Godric confessed that he did not listen to what was being said. He instead chose to focus on Amelia, noticing the way she had her hand holding onto a glass of wine. She drank the glass with haste before her fiancé refilled it for her. He whispered something into her ear then and she looked to him. Her lips were in a firm line and her eyes narrowed.

Godric continued to smirk, finally understanding what she had said to him the previous evening. She didn't want to be there. She was not like them. She was just trying to tell him that, but there was too much rage inside of her. Perhaps speaking with her again would prove to be interesting.

…

Apprehending Amelia Jones was not difficult. In fact, he had not needed to apprehend her. He had considered sending a letter to her, but he suspected her father would intercept it. He had then wondered if it would be possible for him to find her at her house. Security around it would not be too difficult for him to penetrate. However, he didn't need to do any of that. He had been having one of his underlings keep an eye on her house in case she decided to sneak out. She had done exactly that, but she had not bothered to go clubbing that time. Instead she had wandered into town in the evening and gone into a diner. Settling in a booth, she ordered her food and waited patiently.

Godric's underling had told him where she was and Godric had gone to her. Dressed in a light grey sweater with dark pants, he pushed a hand into the pockets of them as he climbed from his car. Entering the diner, he looked around at the humans there and he inclined his head to the waitress behind the counter. Moving towards the back of the diner, he saw her sat there. She had a cup in her fingertips and a half eaten slice of chocolate cake in front of her. She was dressed in jeans and sneakers, some kind of band t-shirt on her top half.

Slipping into the booth across from her, Godric startled her. She jumped in her seat, leaning back in her seat after a moment as she placed her cup down and looked across to him.

"You weren't kidding when you said that you would be in touch," Amelia commented and Godric nodded, his lips set in a straight line.

"I rarely kid around," he responded to her. "However, you made my job slightly easier by insisting on sneaking out of your house again."

"Yeah, well, I figured eating cake here was safer than going to clubs," she said. "And I'm in the mood for cake."

"Can you not eat cake at home?"

"I don't want to risk Daniel seeing me," she said. "He doesn't exactly like me eating sweet things. They'll ruin my figure."

Godric's brows furrowed together upon hearing her as he saw her take another bite of the cake and rest her fork down on the plate again.

"Daniel, your fiancé?" he asked and Amelia felt the weight of the ring on her finger.

Looking down to it, she nodded her head once as Godric looked to the ring. The diamond on it was large. He suspected that no expense had been spared. It sat on a silver band and was glimmering in the dull light. Yet, she looked at it as though it meant nothing to her. She looked at it as though it was weighing her down, as if it was the cause of so much misery. Godric wondered if that was the case. It took a moment before she looked back up, gulping and nodding.

"My fiancé," she confirmed for him.

"And he does not let you eat cake at home?"

"The camera makes you look larger than you are, so don't make yourself larger than you are," Amelia said and Godric's eyes widened. "That's what he says to me anyway. Both him and daddy."

"How cruel," Godric said, his voice full of honesty as he spoke and Amelia let out a soft laugh, taking another sip of her herbal tea.

"Yeah, well, they're not exactly nice people," she responded. "Anyway, I suspect that you are not here to talk with me about my home life. What is it that you want? I didn't understand why you had wanted to speak with me."

"And now I am not so certain I should," Godric admitted.

She scoffed. "Right," she drawled.

"I apologise," Godric said to her with a nod of his head. "I suspect I am taking my turn to speak in riddles now. I will be clear then, Miss Jones-"

"-Amelia," she interrupted him and he arched a brow and cocked his head. "Don't call me Miss Jones…everyone calls me that…I hate it."

"Amelia, then," he spoke her name on the tip of his tongue as he did so. "My name is Godric and I am the Sheriff of this Area. Area 9 is Dallas, for your information. I understand who your father is and I understand his position on vampires. He has a firm stance against them. I understand why he has this position. Vampires are…well…we have given humans no cause to trust us, just as humans give us no cause to trust them. I wish to understand what it is to think in such a manner…how it feels…and your father is in league with the Fellowship of the Sun, is he not?"

"He might be," Amelia said with a nod of her head.

"Might be?" Godric said. "I have heard on the news how they fund him."

"Well, they are looking at making their partnership bigger," Amelia said. "In fact, Steve Newlin is at my house right now probably about to dine on whatever the chefs have prepared for dinner."

"And you are not there."

"Observant," Amelia said, pointing her fork at him before she picked up another mouthful of cake and chewed on it. "I stayed for drinks and then let the men speak business. My mother…I think she suspects I sneak out, but she doesn't seem to care enough to stop me. I think she...she understands why I do it. She just wants me to be safe."

"I see," Godric said.

"Anyway," Amelia said with a wave of her hand. "What is it that you want? What do you truly want?"

"I have been walking this earth for many years now. I have seen death…birth…bloodshed…I have witnessed vampires kill humans and I have now witnessed the humans fight back. As much as I would like to see some peace, I know that it is not possible, but I want to prove people wrong. I want to see something different."

Amelia nodded. "Again, that didn't really answer my question."

"I suspect it didn't," he smiled at hearing her. "What I want is to witness first-hand how humans who supposedly hate vampires interact with them. In order to do that I know that I need to get close to those who think that way. That is why I wish to give myself up to the Fellowship of the Sun."

Amelia's eyes widened at hearing him. Shaking her head back and forth, she couldn't quite believe what she was hearing.

"Okay," she said slowly, "I cannot even pretend to understand this, but I will humour you for a moment. Why on earth would you want to do that? You do know they are more than likely to stake you if they caught you?

"Perhaps," Godric said with a nod. "Or perhaps they might be willing to listen and see reason."

"I doubt it," Amelia said. "Listen, I'm sorry…but…I can't do that. I can't help you to kill yourself because that is ultimately what will happen. I don't even know you, but I'm not doing that. I don't even trust my own father not to have you killed as soon as he sees you. God only knows he's got no heart."

"I appreciate your concern," Godric said. "However, I have had many years to think of my decision. Wandering this earth…seeing the hate…it does nothing but fill me with emptiness. I feel nothing."

"And so…what? You want to try and see that there is a different side? That humans can be compassionate? Even humans who claim to hate vampires?"

"I suspect that is what I wish," he said with a nod of his head. "Just one final time before I end it all."

"You won't see it," she promised him. "All that you will see is the end of a silver stake. Listen to me, the Fellowship are batshit crazy and my father is even crazier. Just…listen to me…"

"My mind has been made up. I only ask for you to arrange a meeting with your father."

"Call his office," Amelia snapped. "I am not doing this. He threatened to kill one of your kind before…I'm not going to sit back and watch him kill someone else…I'm not doing it."

Moving to her feet, she tossed down a twenty, not caring about change. Rushing to the door, she came to the street. But she was not alone. Godric was behind her in a moment and she cursed their super speed. She walked down the sidewalk, Godric by her side as he spoke with haste.

"I never meant to upset you," he said and he even sounded genuine. "I did not know that this would be so upsetting for you."

"Why?" she demanded. "Because you think I am like them?" she pointed into the distance at nothing particular. "I am nothing like them. I am his daughter, but that is it. Do you think I like knowing that my father would kill vampires? That he…that he has helped kill them before…I hate him for it. I hate him for what he has done to them and to my mother and to me. I detest him and I will not help you because I am not helping him to kill anyone else. I am not doing it."

"I understand," Godric said with haste as he saw tears threaten to fall down her cheeks. "Miss…Amelia," he corrected himself. "I understand."

"Do not go to him," she urged him.

Godric smiled then and she wondered what he was finding so funny. But he said nothing. Instead he reached out, his cold thumb moving over her cheek and picking up a tear. He observed it on his skin, keeping it close to his eye as he shook his head.

"Extraordinary," he mumbled. "After centuries here I can still be surprised. You cry over trying to protect me…a vampire you have only just met."

"Because I know what he would do," Amelia said. "And the thought of you being so willing to die is pretty upsetting. You feel so low that you are willing to end it all now is sad. It is so sad."

"I have seen all that I need to," he informed her. "This is my decision to make."

"And what if you are wrong?" Amelia asked from him and he looked at her with a tilted head. "How can I persuade you otherwise?"

"I do not think that you can," he said.

"You just said that even after all these years you can still be shocked," she reminded him. "So what if I can shock you not to do this? What if I can show you that, no matter what you feel now, going to my father and Steve Newlin is not the answer?"

Godric remained intrigued by the woman stood across from him. It took a few seconds before she folded her arms over her chest.

"Two months," she said to him. "Give me two months to try and persuade you otherwise."

"Why?" Godric wondered from her. "Why would you do this for me? You do not know me."

"See, you are shocked again," she said pointing at him. "And why? Well…I want to prove you wrong. I want to prove you wrong and make you see that. I also don't want him…my father…to have any satisfaction. Please. Give me two months to change your mind."

Holding her hand out, Godric looked to her extended fingers and he contemplated what he was about to do.

"If you have been alive for as long as you say then two months should mean nothing," she continued to push him.

"I suspect you have a point," he said to her and moved his hand out.

Wrapping his fingers around hers, he shook her hand, as he looked her in the eye, a smile seeming to remain on his face. Shrugging his shoulders as he dropped his hand from hers.

"I am all yours for two months."

"Good," she said. "Meet me back here tomorrow night at nine."

"And what will be happening?" he wondered of her as she began to walk backwards and away from him, a smile now on her face as she went.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," she said in a toying voice. "Besides, if this is all about trying to shock you then I need to keep quiet."

She turned on her heel then and walked down the street as Godric could only stare after her. Shaking his head back and forth, he failed to believe what had just happened. He had been so determined for it to end. He had been determined to meet the sun. And then she had just persuaded him not to. She had stood there and told him not to. Extraordinary. He only wondered what would happen now.

…

A/N: Thanks so much to everyone reading. I hope you will let me know what you think. Any suggestions/comments would be greatly appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

It had been ten minutes since Godric had arrived outside the diner. It had struck nine and she had not shown. He had waited for ten more minutes and wondered where she was. It was then when he saw her running towards him, slightly out of breath. Godric had changed into a long black shirt with dark pants and a dark jacket, wondering just how he should dress for this night. A part of him felt guilty that he was keeping her awake at night. He knew that it was unfair on her, but a part of him was intrigued as to what she had planned.

She was dressed in a short dark skirt, tights covering her body alongside ankle boots. She had a frilly white shirt tucked into her skirt, but no jacket. Her arms were bare and, while it was still humid, Godric knew she should have brought a jacket. He said nothing as she stopped in front of him, a smile on her face as she looked to him.

"Amelia," he greeted her.

"Umm…so how do I address you? Sheriff?"

Godric smirked at hearing her and she watched as his eyes seem to glimmer with amusement. "Godric will suffice," he said to her. "I confess, I have spent most of my day curious as to what you intend to show me this evening."

"Yeah," Amelia said and began walking down the sidewalk as Godric followed her. "I mean, it was only when I got home did I realise how strange this actually is."

"Oh?" Godric enquired from her.

"Well, you see," Amelia began, "I was trying to work out what might shock a vampire who has been alive for as long as you have been and I was struggling to think. I mean, you can fly…run fast…you've probably seen so much history that the things that entertain humans might bore you."

Godric seemed to consider what she was saying. "So you do not think you can do this?"

"Oh, no, I can," Amelia said with haste. "It just means that I think you need to see the simple things in life and appreciate them…noting wondrous…just the joys in the everyday."

"I confess myself intrigued," Godric said to her. "So where are we going?"

"Well," Amelia said and stood still, looking to the road as she stuck her arm out to hail a passing cab. Thankfully it stopped as Amelia held the door open and climbed into the back seat, looking to Godric as she smirked to him. "You're just going to have to wait and see."

…

Following Amelia, Godric could only chuckle as they stood outside of the amusement park. A smile pulled onto his lips as she stood in front of it, her arms held high and wide above her head as she theatrically dropped her hip.

"Ta-dah!" she said and Godric arched his brow.

"A theme park?" he asked from her.

"Listen," Amelia said and she began to move towards the queue as Godric followed her with intrigue. "Humans love theme parks. Well, most humans do anyway. I know that you lot can fly, but have you ever been hurtled into the ground and dragged back down without knowing when?"

Godric continued to look amused, noting how the theme park was open until one in the morning. There were still many people milling around and Godric watched them. There were groups of friends laughing and joking. There were couples, old and young, arm in arm and smiling at each other's company. Godric continued to look intrigued as he heard Amelia begin to pay. He moved with haste then, his hand going to her arm before she could reach into her purse in the small satchel over her shoulder.

"Allow me," Godric insisted, reaching for his wallet in his back pocket.

"No…it's fine," Amelia said, but Godric was quick, slipping the dollar bills underneath the gap in the glass to the woman behind the glass who eyed him with curiosity. Godric had gotten used to people looking at him in such a manner as he took his change and Amelia huffed, looking to him over her shoulder as they entered the theme park.

"I would have gotten that," she said to him. "It was my idea to come here."

Godric nodded. "I know," he told her. "However, you have to understand that I predominately come from an age where the men pay for women."

"That's a bit sexist in this day and age."

"Of chivalrous?" Godric asked from her.

"I'm not arguing with you," Amelia told him, holding her hands up as they wandered along the path, the lanterns the only source of light hanging above them as they came to the main part of the park. Looking around, Godric saw people queuing for rides, the noise of rollercoasters echoing throughout as people screamed and laughed.

"So," Amelia said, arms stretched wide as she spun around on the spot, "what do you want to go on first?"

"And humans truly get a buzz from these things?" Godric asked from her.

"Uh, yeah," she said, not truly understanding why that seemed to confuse him so much. He arched a brow as Amelia looked around. "So, we've got rollercoasters…simulators…bungees…or, if you're too chicken, we've got the teacups."

Godric confessed he wasn't entirely certain what she was talking about, but he picked up on a mischievous undertone as he tilted his head to the side and looked to her.

"You are teasing me," he observed and she laughed.

"Come on," she said and began to move forwards. "We'll start out with rollercoasters."

…

Godric had been on the planet for two thousand years. He had seen so much, but he had not once witnessed a theme park. He had done everything that Amelia had suggested, informing her that he was hers to lead as she saw fit. She had dragged him on ride after continuous ride. While Godric felt nothing from them, he could hear Amelia's heart race faster as she screamed loudly, seeming to enjoy the thrill that she got from the speeds of the rides.

It was only towards the end when she insisted that they go on the log flume. Godric had sat behind her in the log and watched as she turned her head over her shoulder and threw him a look, a smile wide on her face as he couldn't help but smile back at her. She was right. She was shocking him and surprising him. Her joy was enough to surprise him. Her joy at such a simple thing. She was right, there was joy in the simple things. But the joy that he had was watching her being entertained.

She shrieked loudly as the log flume hurtled downwards and they landed in a pit of water. Leaning back, Amelia's hands went to her face and wiped the water from her. Godric saw that she was soaked through from sitting at the front and then she became even wetter when they went down another drop. She laughed loudly, tilting her head back as she climbed off once they had finished. She kept on laughing and Godric saw her hair hanging in wet clumps around her, her shirt sticking to her and her tights darkened from where they had been splattered with water.

"You are soaking," Godric observed and she shrugged nonchalantly as they fell into step besides each other, wandering through the park.

"Doesn't matter," she responded, not in the least bit bothered. "Besides, I'll dry off before I have to go home."

Godric moved with haste then, shrugging his black jacket from his shoulders, he handed it out to her. She held a hand up to him.

"I'm fine," she promised him.

"Humans can catch colds, we cannot," Godric said to her. "Please, just take it."

She did as he had asked then, shrugging into the jacket and zipping it up to her chin. Moving towards a shack selling ice cream, he watched as Amelia paid for a pot, asking if he needed a drink. He said that he was fine and the two of them settled down on a bench for a while, watching as people passed by. Amelia picked up a spoonful of the honeycomb flavour before looking to Godric.

"So," Amelia drawled, "have I succeeded in shocking you for the evening?"

Godric chuckled. "I have certainly been entertained," he admitted to her. "I confess, I did not find myself as scared as you did, but that might have to do with the fact that I am, technically, dead."

"But still," Amelia said. "You've had a good night?"

"As I said, I have been entertained," he said. "You…you seem to know a lot about vampires, however, Amelia. How is this?"

Amelia let out a dark chuckle then and took another spoonful of ice cream, popping the spoon out of her mouth as she placed it back into the ice cream and looked to him. Her eyes met his as she spoke in a soft voice. "I used to be in love with a vampire," she admitted and Godric did look shocked then, wondering just how the hell that had turned out for her. It took another few seconds before he spoke, wondering if he would be able to find out what had happened.

"Used to be?"

"Yeah," Amelia said. "But when your daddy is one of the most famous men in America for hating them, well, it doesn't turn out well."

"What happened?" Godric asked. "If you don't mind me asking?"

Amelia nodded her head, shocked at his politeness as she placed the ice cream onto the arm of the bench. Turning her head over her shoulder to face him, she folded her arms into her lap as she leant forwards slightly.

"I went to college in New York," Amelia said. "I…you know…I had my freedom and I did anything to piss daddy off. I drank. I ate burgers. I wasn't the dutiful Southern daughter anymore and I loved it. I loved it so much. I never expected to fall in love with a vampire, but I met him on a night out. He wasn't like what daddy had said they were like. He was nothing like them."

"You met a good one?"

"The best," Amelia said with a fond smile. "Will was just different. He was funny and smart. He was terrible at flirting, but I found that pretty endearing considering I am useless at it. We met that night and we went out for six months before my daddy found out what had happened. We were pictured together leaving the cinema and he…well…he blew up…"

"What did he do?"

Amelia took a deep breath. "He told me that I had to dump him," Amelia said. "I didn't want to. I never wanted to dump him, but he said that he had things planned for when I left college. He told me how Daniel had been sniffing around…saying that we could make a good couple. I never wanted that. I never wanted him."

"How did you end up with him?"

"Daddy threatened to kill Will," Amelia said, the sentence short and blunt as she sniffed loudly and looked over to the floor, her eyes closing for a second as she remembered Will. "He told me to dump him or he would stake him. He said if I ran away with him then he would find him and kill him. I broke up with him and…his face…I can still picture it…picture him…"

Godric watched her try to discretely dry her eyes, but she struggled. He gave her a moment to compose herself. She turned to look to him after that, her eyes wide as she blinked back tears and nodded her head.

"Ridiculous, I know," Amelia said. "I should have known better."

"I do not think we know better when it comes to love," Godric responded to her. "What your father did was cruel. There can be no denying that. How he could do that to his own daughter…"

"I am an embarrassment," Amelia merely said. "He sees me as nothing but an embarrassment and I am fine with that. I would rather be me than the perfect daughter he wants."

"Amelia…" Godric spoke her name and trailed off. He continued to watch her as she moved to her feet, picking her ice cream up as she looked down to him, not wanting to listen to him pity her. She didn't want that. She wanted to move on, just as she hoped Will had done.

"Come on," she said with haste. "We only have an hour before the park closes and I haven't even shown you the dodgems."

She began walking off and Godric followed her, wondering just what truly went on in her mind.

…

"Perhaps I should not ask you to do this for me," Godric mused as they walked back along the sidewalk, not sure where they were going. "It must be too dangerous for you to keep sneaking out. I do not wish to see you get in trouble."

"I will not," Amelia promised him. "Daddy is rarely home which, thankfully, means that Daniel is rarely home. My mommy…well…she is not like daddy. She used to be a doctor a lot of years ago. She loved it."

"Why did she give it up?"

"To become the wife of a politician," Amelia said. "Daddy didn't want her working. He wanted her by his side at these events. His hope is that one day Daniel will take his seat."

"And you do not want that? You do not want to be the wife of a politician?"

"Of course not," Amelia balked. "I want to be a teacher. I had always wanted to be a teacher, but that's not the way my life is going."

"Why not leave now?" Godric wondered from her.

"Because daddy keeps tab on Will."

Godric looked disgusted. "He is blackmailing you?"

"What other way can he make me stay?" Amelia wondered. "You know, I might not be as old as you are, but I know a thing or two about feeling empty and feeling lost. I know how you feel."

"I do not doubt it," Godric responded to her. "But if you are discovered with me-"

"-I know," Amelia interrupted him. "I know what he might do, which is why I'm going to try not to get caught because being out tonight…actually smiling…feeling happy…I don't want to give it up. Besides, I made a deal and I don't go back on my deals."

Godric seemed to comprehend what she was saying before he looked to her. "What if I could find this vampire?" he wondered from her. "What if I could help him move somewhere your father cannot find him or hurt him? Would that put you at ease? If I could help to make sure your father never found him?"

Amelia stood still, her mouth gaping as she heard him speak. Godric continued to watch her with intrigue as he saw her begin to cry. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she folded her arms over her chest, crumping his jacket that she still wore.

"Have I upset you?" Godric asked from her and she shook her head.

"You would do that?" she asked of him in a soft voice. "You would to that for me?"

"Why are you so surprised?"

"Because no one has…no one has ever done that for me…wanted to help me…" Amelia said and Godric nodded, seeming to understand what she was saying as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I've known you for two days and you've…you've offered to help me. No one does that. No one ever helps. Godric, I don't know how to repay you."

"I do not wish for repayment," Godric assured her. "You have done enough as it is just by risking yourself to save my life. This is the least that I can do. I do not wish to see you, or any other vampire, suffer from such cruelty."

"Thank you," Amelia said quickly. "Just…thank you."

"Consider it done," Godric said. "However, I am acutely aware that we are miles from your house and the sun rises in four hours. Allow me to give you a lift home."

Looking around for his car, Amelia wondered what he was talking about before she saw an entertained look flash across his face. She slowly realised as Godric chuckled and nodded his head. "You know about flying," he reminded her.

"It's been a while," she said.

"It is a lot more exciting than those rollercoasters." He mused. "Allow me?"

Before Amelia could say anything else, he had bent down in front of her, his hands going behind her to grasp her tight covered thighs as he hauled her upwards. He felt her legs secure around his waist as her arms moved around his neck. Godric inhaled her sharp scent of strawberry, no doubt from her shampoo.

"Ready?"

"Ready," she responded and Godric launched himself into the air.

He heard Amelia yell loudly before she began laughing softly, no doubt from hysteria. They weren't in the air for long before Godric landed on the ground, making sure it was gentle and a block away from her house. He felt her slip down his back to her feet, removing her arms and legs from him as she stood on her feet. Godric turned to look to her, a smile on his face as he watched her begin to remove his jacket.

"Thanks for that," Amelia said. "It's been a while."

"You are welcome," Godric said and took his jacket, shrugging into it. "I shall work on finding your vampire when I return home. I should like to see you again, Amelia, but not with any risk to you."

"It is no risk," she promised him. "They fly to D.C. tomorrow and leave me behind. It is a working trip and I have no intention of going. Neither does my mother."

"You are certain?"

"Positive."

"Then I shall be here tomorrow evening at nine again. We shall not stay out for too long, I am aware that you need to sleep."

"Okay," Amelia said. "I shall see you tomorrow then."

"Goodnight, Amelia," he whispered and watched her spin on her heel and race back home. He made sure she was safe before he returned home, the scent of her lingering on his jacket not wholly unpleasant as he let himself smile.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

Sitting at the dinner table, Amelia was aware that she only had two hours before she had to meet Godric. Her father and Daniel were due to leave on a business trip that evening and, while her mother knew about the incident from the other night, she had said nothing. She had helped her daughter to cover the bite marks up, plastering them in makeup. Marianna was well aware of her daughter and how she felt. She also had a suspicion that she was sneaking out again, but she said nothing.

She knew it was foolish not to tell her husband about he gap in his security, but she knew what the would do to Amelia. She suspected that she was sneaking out to meet up with Maria. She had no idea that she was seeing one of the most powerful vampires to walk the earth. Marianna had seen her daughter suffer enough heartbreak. She didn't want to see her go through anymore. She just urged her to be safe.

As they finished the coq au vin they had been served, Martin made a move to his feet. He was still dressed in a smart suit, flattening his tie out against his chest. Moving to clasp Daniel on the shoulder, the younger man finished taking a gulp of the wine that he had been drinking. Nodding, he placed it down and stood up, dropping his napkin onto the table. Amelia and Marianna remained seated, looking to the men as they made their leave.

"We should be back by the weekend," Martin said as he moved to Marianna's side and she held her wine glass in her fingertips. "I trust you will be fine staying here?"

"I think it is for the best," Marianna said. "You know how DC bores me terribly while you are working."

Martin smirked then and moved to kiss his wife chastely on the lips. Looking to his fiancée, Daniel saw how she was moving a finger over the rim of her wine glass, utterly lost in thought. He scowled as she failed to pay him any attention. He wondered where her thoughts were, but he knew better than to question her or try to get into her head. She was a lost cause and he knew that. She didn't wish to marry him and he was fine with that, but he wished she would at least try to accept him.

He didn't get a chance to say anything about her daydreaming. Instead her father coughed and turned his glare to her, wishing that she would just behave like a proper lady for once in her life. His glare intensified as she turned to look to him after his noise. Arching a brow, she wondered what he wanted before he shook his head.

"Will you ever learn?" he demanded from his daughter and she tilted her head to the side. "How many times do you need telling?"

"Martin," Marianna said and moved to her feet.

But Amelia rolled her eyes and remained seated. "What have I done now?" she wondered as she saw her father turn red.

"I try so hard with you, Amelia," Martin seethed. "I try so hard, but you still don't get it, do you? All that you have to do is make simple talk with us. All that you have to do is pretend you are interested. Instead, all that you have done is sit there with a miserable look on your face, ignoring all of us. You act so ungrateful."

Amelia said nothing then as Martin shrugged his shoulders.

"Nothing to say?" he demanded from her.

"What's the point?" Amelia snapped, turning her head back to look at him as she also stood up and tossed her napkin onto the table. "Do you think that I really want to sit around this table and make small talk? Do you know why I don't listen; why I don't bother to hide the fact that I don't care? It is because I would rather be anywhere but here. I would rather do anything than be here."

Martin moved with haste then, Marianna grabbing onto his arm as she tried to stop him. He stood in front of his daughter, both of them going toe to toe as Daniel had the decency to stay out of their argument. He knew that there was not much point getting involved when it came to the two of them.

"Do I need to remind you of what I have already said to you?" he demanded from her and she scoffed, flapping her arms by her side.

"As if I can forget," she snapped. "I am only here because of that stupid threat."

"A threat?" he asked from her. "Do you think that I am bluffing?"

"No," Amelia said firmly. "I know you're a cold hearted bastard with no care for anyone but himself!"

It was then when Martin seethed and lashed out. His palm made contact with his daughter's cheek. The force was enough to send her tumbling backwards, falling into the table as she turned and bent at the waist, knocking over her wine glass as she went. She gasped in pain as Marianna placed a hand over her mouth and Daniel sighed lowly.

Amelia took a moment to gather herself before she stood up straight, tugging her dress down her body as she looked to her father and he simply glared back at her. She wasn't going to let him win this. She wasn't going to let him get away with all of this. She would see to it. All that she did was look at him defiantly as he spoke in a low yet threatening tone.

"Don't push me, Amelia," he demanded from her.

"What else can you do?" she asked, flapping her arms by her side. "You know that if you kill him then I would leave. You need him alive to keep me here."

Martin said nothing on the matter as Amelia scoffed and walked past him.

"Don't worry, daddy, I'm not going anywhere."

Moving to her room, Amelia was grateful that they didn't bother to follow her. She heard doors slamming downstairs and she suspected that her father and Daniel had left. It was only then when Marianna showed her face. Looking to the clock on her desk, Amelia knew she had an hour to go before she was supposed to meet Godric. She had been stood in her en-suite, her fingers touching the cut on her lips from where her father had struck her as she felt her cheek continue to sting.

Marianna didn't even say anything as she entered her daughter's room and saw her in the bathroom. Instead all that she could do was rush forwards and take hold of Amelia into her arms. She turned her around and cradled her daughter tightly as she felt tears fall down her cheeks. Amelia finally began to sob, knowing that she had the safety of her mother.

"I know," was all that Marianna could say to her. "I know."

"How?" Amelia asked from her, pulling back slightly as Marianna reached for a tissue to wipe away her daughter's tears. "How can you know?"

There was a flash of fear that crossed Marianna's face before she shook her head. Whatever she was about to say, she decided against it. She only hoped that her daughter didn't recognise. She could only pray for that much. It took her a few seconds before she finished drying her daughter's tears.

"I don't know how to make any of this better, Amelia," Marianna admitted to her in a gentle voice. "I don't know what I can do."

Amelia shook her head. "You can't do anything," she said.

Marianna felt her chest ache at hearing her daughter say that. But she knew that it was true. That was the part that hurt her the most.

…

Godric found himself waiting for Amelia again, unable to stop thinking about what she might have planned for them that night. It was only when she rounded the corner could he smell it. After years on the earth, he could easily smell the smallest hint of blood. He didn't drink as much as he used to, knowing that he could control himself. But he didn't want to drink from Amelia once he smelled the blood from her. Instead he wanted to find out who had dared to hurt her.

Before she even had a chance to stand in front of him, he had sped to her, startling her as his hand moved out to her cheek, his thumb moving over her top lip as he saw the cut there alongside what, he suspected, was a bruise forming. He felt a low growl come from the back of his throat as Amelia continued to look down to the ground.

"Who did this?" Godric demanded from her.

"It doesn't matter," she muttered.

"It matters," Godric responded, wondering why he felt such a rage. But it was wrong. Humans should not behave in this manner. Bloodshed and violence solved very little. Godric knew that.

"No, it doesn't," Amelia said and swatted his hand away from her as she sniffed loudly and began to walk down the sidewalk. Godric had no choice but to walk alongside her, refusing to give in.

"Was it your fiancé?" he wondered.

"I said it doesn't matter!" Amelia snapped then, standing still to turn to look to him. He saw the tears in her eyes and the reddening of her cheeks. She looked to him for a moment, shrugging her shoulders. "You can't do anything about it. No one can do anything about it because he has me trapped. He has me where he wants me and…so long as he has Will under his thumb…I can't go anywhere or do anything."

Godric seemed to understand then. "Your father," he identified the culprit as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"He's getting worse," Amelia muttered. "And he'll only get worse as the wedding approaches because I can't hide it anymore. I can't hide it and I don't know what to do. The thought of marrying him…of following him and my father…it makes me feel sick. It makes me feel sick and I don't know…I don't know how to pretend…"

Godric watched her as she sobbed in front of him and he wondered how to respond. Over the years he had grown compassionate towards humans, but he had never confronted one sobbing openly in front of him. He had never known what to do in such situations. However, he did the only thing that he could think of. He tried to offer words of comfort.

"I am in contact with vampires from other areas," he said. "I am trying to locate Will, but it is proving difficult, Amelia. He has gone undercover. If your father is following him then he has very good people doing the job."

She scoffed. "I don't doubt it," she said with a shake of her head.

"But I will keep trying," Godric promised her. "If I can do this…find him…then you do not need to do this. You can leave. You could leave and be free."

Amelia shook her head as she began walking again and Godric followed her. "I've thought about how to escape him," she confessed. "I've thought about paying a vampire to glamour him, but he wears those ridiculous contact lenses to protect himself. I just…I think that even if you did find Will and help him…I think that my daddy would do everything in his power to make my life a living hell. Daniel would be right behind him too."

"I shall try to help you as best as I can," Godric continued to promise her.

She did manage a small smile over to him then with a nod. "Thank you," she said and sniffed.

"My pleasure," Godric responded.

He continued walking alongside her, the silence surrounding them for a few moments before Amelia sniffed and looked to the sky. "I had thought about taking you to the cinema tonight, you know, see a film. I imagine you guys don't watch films too much."

Godric nodded. "I confess it has been a long time since I have watched a film."

"But I don't want people looking at me," Amelia said. "Vain, I know, but if someone recognises me with a cut lip and a bruise…I just don't want them to see."

"Understandable," Godric promised her before coming to his own conclusions. "Perhaps I can show you something this evening?"

"I thought the entire point of doing this was for me to show you stuff?"

"Perhaps we can have one evening off?" Godric suggested. "Come."

Amelia didn't even bother to argue as she watched him offer to carry her again. Climbing onto his back, she closed her eyes tightly as she felt him move through the air. She opened her eyes after a few seconds, wanting to look down and see how high they were. Of course, fear would take hold of her if she did that. But, for some reason, she felt safe with Godric. She trusted him not to drop her. Looking down, she saw the bright lights of the city disappear as she felt his hands tighten around her thighs she had wrapped around him.

She didn't know how long they were in the air before they landed. Amelia slipped down and looked around, wondering where they were. She could see a lake in front of her in the distance as they stood on a dirt path. Looking to Godric, she arched a brow.

"I often come here when I wish to escape for a while," Godric admitted, hands behind his back as he began to walk forwards.

"Cedar Ridge?" she wondered from him and he nodded his head. "Why here?"

"Because it is peaceful in the evening," Godric responded. "No one comes here and it allows me to gather my thoughts. Regardless, what I want to show you is located a mile from here."

"Couldn't have flown us straight there, huh?" she enquired and Godric chuckled at hearing her.

"I thought that humans enjoyed fresh air as it helped them to clear their head?"

"Yeah, but not when they're running on about five hours sleep a night."

"I am keeping you awake," Godric said, concern showing in his voice as she waved them away with a hand.

"I don't care," she said to him. "I can lay in this week with daddy and Daniel gone. Besides, this is the only chance I get to be…well…not sad."

"But not happy?" Godric wondered from her and Amelia looked up to him.

"I feel happy too," she promised him. "Although, it has just come to me that I am alone with a vampire in the middle of a hiking trek with no one around."

"Don't worry," Godric said with a teasing tone. "My intentions are nothing but honourable."

"Glad to hear it," Amelia responded. "So…" she drawled, longing to change the topic to something lighter. "You said you've been around for a while…so how long is a while."

His lips quirked at hearing her. "Over two thousand years."

She stopped walking then, her eyes widening as Godric turned his head over his shoulder to look to her. She shook her head as she struggled to comprehend. Godric chuckled at her expression before turning back to look at her, his brows arched on his forehead as he wondered what she was thinking. It was then when he realised just how human she truly was.

"Excuse me?" Amelia demanded.

"I am over two thousand years old," he spoke.

"But…we're…that makes you…you're born before Christ."

"I never knew him," Godric spoke. "Although I would have liked to have."

"Shut up," Amelia said and moved to catch up with him. "You cannot be that old."

Godric looked entertained at hearing her, nodding his head. "I am," he assured her.

"Now I feel like an idiot," she said with haste as they both fell into step besides each other. "I am trying to show you things you've never seen and you've lived through so much…two thousand years…I don't understand."

"I suppose it is a lot to take in," Godric said to her.

"What was your favourite time?"

"There have been many of them," Godric informed her. "I enjoyed Victoria times, but I also enjoyed the era of the Vikings. That was when I turned my progeny."

"You have a progeny?"

"I have two," Godric said. "I turned them a very, very long time ago, however. I have not turned anyone since Nora. I turned Eric first, but Nora…there was a fight in her that I saw and wanted to save her. Both my children are doing very well."

"You don't look old enough to call someone your child," she observed.

"Perhaps not in human years," he said. "I was changed when I was sixteen, however, that is a story for another day. For now, we have reached where I wanted us to be."

Coming to a clearing, Amelia looked around and saw nothing but trees surrounding them. Looking to Godric with a puzzled expression, she watched as the entertained look returned to his face and he nodded his head once and moved towards her. Standing in front of her, he moved to curl a finger underneath her chin as he urged her to look upwards.

"Look to the sky," he urged from her.

She did as he had instructed as he removed his finger from her chin. He watched her as her eyes widened and her mouth gaped. Godric looked upwards as Amelia wandered around slightly.

"How did you find this place?" she wondered from him. "I've never seen the stars so clearly."

"It is fascinating what you stumble upon," Godric merely said. "You know, I could name the constellations in the sky at one time."

Amelia looked to him with a challenging stare. "I suspect when you have been around for two thousand years, you must know everything."

Godric chuckled. "Not everything," he said to her.

"Oh?" she wondered from him.

"I don't know much about humans. I have tried to understand them, but they shock me…they are all so different…all of them…just like us…"

"We are," Amelia said. "Nothing is ever black or white. We're the same as vampires. Everyone is different. You know, we don't understand each other."

"I can see that," Godric said to her. "I cannot understand how a father could harm a daughter as your father has done."

"Yeah, well," Amelia shrugged and chuckled darkly before looking back up. "He's not exactly one of the nice ones."

"Amelia," Godric whispered her name. "Are you safe at home?"

"Of course I am," she said, turning her gaze to him. "I'm safe so long as I do as I am told which is exactly what I intend to do until Will is found and hidden. Perhaps then I might think of something other than obeying my father."

Godric nodded. "You deserve to be happy."

Amelia offered him a sad smile. "You don't know me, Godric…not really."

Godric shook his head. "I think I know enough," he whispered to her in a gentle voice.

Amelia almost felt the urge to say something on that, but she changed the topic. Looking to the sky, she pointed to a star before speaking. "So what is that one?"

Godric sighed, knowing that she was trying to move on. He went to stand next to her and looked to where she was pointing before he began explaining the constellations. He moved to take hold of her hand, pointing in the direction of the stars he was talking about. He continued talking as she remained intrigued, his mind wondering just exactly why he felt the need to help Amelia Jones as he was doing.

…

A/N: Thanks to everyone for reading. Do let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

Godric spent the next week with Amelia, finding himself content for some unknown reason. They had finally gone to the cinema and she had insisted on some musical set on a remote Greek island. Godric confessed that he had never quite understood the appeal of musicals, but he had seen Amelia tap her foot along with the beat. Well, she had tried to. She was a bit out of time. He had watched her chew on popcorn and slurp soda.

She had asked him if they could go back for a walk after the other night. Godric had been happy to oblige, taking her on treks on different trails. She had responded by taking him to some kind of music concert. They had stood towards the back of the crowd and he had watched her jump up and down sing, her face completely in awe as they stood in the stadium. Godric had tried to blend in, but it had been a while since he had danced. He remembered vaguely how to waltz from back in the day.

But Amelia was jumping up and down, her hair swinging around. Occasionally she would scream loudly, hands in the air and body bent back slightly as a smile broke out over her face. Godric had clapped along and then left with her. The two of them had fought their way through the crowds before filing onto the sidewalk. They had wandered a few blocks, Amelia's hands stuffed into the pockets of her dress as she continued to smile, her cheeks tinged red with excitement.

"I take it that wasn't your kind of music?" she wondered from him once they were alone and wandering the streets. Not once did Amelia feel unsafe with Godric by her side.

"I don't think I have listened to modern music in a very long time," he admitted to her. "I vaguely remember the '80s, but I much prefer the classical music. Beethoven was a very good composer and quite a pleasant young man."

Amelia's eyes widened at hearing that as she looked up to him and he watched her for a second, wondering if he would ever tire of seeing her look at him with such a shocked expression. He was notoriously known in the vampire community and no one was shocked at what he had seen. But he had to keep reminding himself that Amelia was a human. She was so young.

"Sorry," Amelia said and closed her gaping mouth. "It's still pretty surprising that you've done as much as you've done."

"I know," Godric said to her. "Amelia, I do need to speak with you, however. I didn't want to do this before the concert."

"That sounds ominous," Amelia admitted as Godric spoted a late night diner.

"Allow me?" he urged and she nodded her head.

He held the door open for her and let her walk in first. There was only a young couple sat in a booth, sharing a slice of cake and holding two hot chocolates in their hands. There was another man at a laptop sat at the bar, downing coffee after hardly having touched his sandwich. Amelia moved into the corner of the diner and settled down in a booth as Godric slipped in opposite her. Looking to her, he saw her rake a hand through her hair, tossing it behind her shoulders. It was another moment before the waitress came and Amelia did the talking for them.

"Can we get two cups of herbal tea and…I'd love a slice of cheesecake," she said, unable to help herself and feeling a hunger after spending almost two hours jumping around.

"Gotcha, honey," the woman said and turned on her heel and left.

"Two cups?" Godric enquired.

"I know you don't drink," she said in a gentle voice to him. "But I thought it might look less suspicious…in case anyone sees us…don't worry, I like herbal tea."

Godric nodded at hearing her, knowing that she had a point. He watched her take a deep breath before placing her hands onto the table, her fingers lacing together. Godric remained sat up straight, hands on his lap as he watched her, knowing that he had a sinking suspicion over what he was going to tell her. But he didn't want her to know. He didn't want her to get hurt. He had no idea why he felt the way that he did, but it was odd. He had known Amelia for over a week and he had seen nothing but a kind, charming and funny young woman.

Perhaps if he had still been a human then he would have asked her out on a date. She was certainly stunning. She wasn't conventionally beautiful. She wasn't like the girls her progeny tended to fancy. She had light blonde hair that hung down her back in wavy curls while her face was pale and her eyes a dark blue. She wasn't skinny, but she did have curves. She was certainly attractive to him, regardless.

"I have been trying to locate Will." Godric admitted to her. "I have had my underlings working on it and trying to find him. You would be shocked at what they can do with modern technology."

"Maybe he is pretty hidden?"

"Amelia," Godric whispered her name, "I asked a contact to look into your father's finances. There was nothing unusual."

"What if he is doing it off the record?"

"Then we cannot find anything," Godric said. "However, it seems unlikely. Your father has the necessary amount of security that is provided for him, but he has hired no one extra. It's almost as though he is lying to you, Amelia."

Amelia shook her head. "How could he lie?"

"Well maybe he isn't keep tracks on him. Will Manderly hasn't been seen in months by anyone," Godric said. "There's no trace of him even using his own credit cards or passport. There is nothing that I can find. It is almost as though he has disappeared."

The waitress returned then and Amelia managed a grateful nod as she placed down their drinks and food. Amelia didn't even bother to pick at the cheesecake, despite her hunger. Instead she looked to Godric and gulped.

"What are you saying?" Amelia wondered.

"I'm saying that Will has either changed his identity or your father has been lying to you," Godric said. "I am still looking into everything, but I think that there is something amiss, Amelia. I think that there is something wrong and I don't know how to find out. I don't know what more I can do…everywhere I look brings up a loose end."

Amelia nodded at hearing him, doing her best to comprehend what could have happened. All that she could think of was the worst. All she could think of was her father doing the worst. She said nothing as Godric watched her pale even further, her eyes closing as he took a moment to watch her, knowing that she was piecing his words together.

"I will do everything that I can to find out the truth."

"And what if I think I know the truth?" she wondered in a low voice. "What if I just go and ask him outright?"

"Amelia, it might not be that-"

"-I don't know what else it could be," she interrupted. "If he can't be found and my daddy isn't paying for anyone to follow him then what else could it be? He's…he's been lying to me…he's been lying and there would only be one reason why he would do that."

"What do you intend to do?" Godric asked from her.

Looking him in the eye, she saw genuine concern in his gaze. Picking her hands up, she felt them shake as she pushed her hair behind her ears. She struggled to comprehend moving as realisation dawned on her and she felt tears form in her eyes. Shaking her head with haste, she couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it. But, the more she thought about it, the more she couldn't push those images from her head.

"I need air," Amelia said and she moved with haste.

Godric paid for the uneaten food and untouched tea. He followed her onto the sidewalk to see her crouched down against the wall, head buried in her hands. She closed her eyes and he saw her body shake. He moved with haste, kneeling down in front of her, a hand moving to her and gently moving her gaze to his. He saw that her eyes were red rimmed and swelling with tears as he wondered what to say to her. It took him a few moments before he swept her hair behind her shoulder and he looked to her.

"If you think that he has done what you think," Godric said, knowing it sounded cryptic, "then you need to leave, Amelia. You cannot be with him."

"I would have nothing keeping me there," Amelia whispered. "He would have lost his threat, but I will have lost Will…I…I can't…I love him…I love him so much…"

She began openly sobbing then and Godric moved with haste. He moved a hand into hers, hauling her to her feet as he wrapped his arms around her, trying to stop her from shaking. Her arms found his neck as she clung onto him, accepting the comfort that he was offering. Moving a hand to the back of her head, Godric cradled it gently as he wondered just what was going to happen.

…

Godric had been reluctant to let Amelia return home, but she had told him that she needed to do what she had to do. Her father was due to return the following morning and she was ready to confront him. Godric had asked her if she wanted him to be with her, but she had said she would be fine. She knew that, if it was true, then she would leave without a second thought. She would go and her father would not see her again.

The truth was all that she wanted.

She hadn't slept the previous night. Instead she had sat in the kitchen, her hands holding a cup of tea she hadn't bothered to drink. Her mother was asleep when her father and Daniel returned. The two of them walked into the kitchen, dropping their briefcases onto the floor. Daniel undid his tie and top button, tugging his shirt jacket off while Martin remained smart. He moved to the fridge as he noted his daughter.

"Amelia. You are up early," Martin observed.

"Where is he?" Amelia demanded, her voice harsh and demanding. She was not waiting nor was she prepared for lies.

"Where is who?" Daniel enquired as he moved to place a hand on his fiancée's shoulder. She shrugged it off of her and jumped down from the stool she was sat in, her hands balled by her sides.

"Will," she snapped his name. "Where is he really?"

Martin closed the fridge, not bothering to find out the orange juice. He looked to Amelia, his hands moving to his hips.

"Safe in New York for now."

"Don't lie to me," Amelia snapped. "He isn't in New York. He hasn't used his credit cards in months. He hasn't been seen in months. Where is he really?"

Daniel gulped then and both him and Martin seemed to exchange knowing glances at each other. Martin took a step closer to his daughter as she remained defiant, her head held high.

"How do you know that?" he asked.

"Don't change the fucking question!" Amelia roared at him, the anger now clear on her face as Martin remained impassive. "What the hell have you done to him?"

Martin said nothing as Amelia continued to glare at him. Their eyes were locked and he didn't need to say anything. His silence told her everything that she needed to know. His silence was enough for her to understand. Moving with haste, she lifted her hand and slapped him hard, not caring that she usually detested violence. She didn't really move him, but she felt better.

"You bastard," she seethed to him. "You absolute bastard."

Martin straightened himself out then, looking down to his daughter as tears fell down her cheeks. Anger took hold of her as she watched him remain impassive. Daniel had the decency to remain silent, his eyes looking to the floor as beads of sweat dropped down from his forehead.

"Come with me," Martin demanded from her.

"Why the hell-"

"-Just do as I say!" he interrupted her and began moving off through the house.

Amelia folded her arms over her chest and followed, Daniel lagging behind her. She did her best to keep her tears at bay as she wandered behind her father, rage bubbling inside of her as she saw him enter his study. He moved forwards into the room, opening the door to his closet. But then he swept aside his coats and Amelia's mouth gaped at the sight she was witnessing.

"What the hell?" Amelia whispered.

Moving into the closet, she saw her father enter the hidden door, walking down a staircase. Amelia struggled to comprehend what was going as she took the stainless steel steps down. Looking at the small room at the bottom, she saw her father place his thumb onto a scanner and another metal door shot up. But this time it was not silence that engulfed her. It was hustle and bustle.

Looking around a large room, the walls were all whitewashed and the floor tiled white. Amelia gulped as she felt Daniel stand behind her. Looking around, people were working, dressed in lab coats with microscopes on stainless steel desks, expensive equipment surrounding them. Amelia looked around, completely in a daze as her father watched her. Moving forwards, he nodded to Daniel who took his fiancée by the arm, hauling her through the lab.

"What is this place?" Amelia demanded from her father. "And how to hell is it under our house?"

"A secret entrance a few blocks away," he answered her, not bothering to hide anything. "Everything is soundproof and well insulated. You and your mother would never have heard a thing. The house was built on top of some type of underground shelter."

"And what the hell are you doing here?"

"Experiments," was the only answer he gave her.

He placed his thumb onto another scanner, a door opening on the other end of the room and leading to a small corridor. Amelia followed hesitantly, looking around with wide eyes through small glass windows. Her mouth gaped at the sights she was witnessing. Men and women in lab coats stood in the rooms, seeming to be working with blood along with high tech equipment. Her eyes widened as her father walked to the end of the corridor and stopped. He turned his gaze into the room in front of him, the wall made of glass panels and allowing him to see.

Amelia walked hesitantly towards him, her eyes widening at the sight she witnessed. Her hands went to her mouth as a strangled sob escaped her. She halted on the spot, fear coursing through her as soon as she saw him. Her eyes began to tear up again and she moved closer to the glass, her hand going to the window.

"Will," she whispered his name as she looked into the room.

"He's a fighter, I'll give him that," Martin informed her. "He's been quite the handful."

The vampire inside the room opened his eyes then, moving them to the three people behind the glass. It was only when his eyes landed on her did he even smile. A smile formed on his face. Pure happiness pierced his eyes. He was ragged looking. His hair had grown uncontrollably down his neck; the blonde curls limp and lame. His face had a speckle of a beard growing on it. But that wasn't what bothered her the most. All that she could see protruding from his arms were raised veins. They were blue and looked painful, his skin completely marred in them.

Her eyes met his and she saw him manage to speak her name softly, mouthing it and testing it on the tip of his tongue.

"What have you done to him?" Amelia demanded, pushing past her father to get into the room. Martin watched her go, the door flinging wide open as she moved to Will's side, her hands going to cradle his cheeks as she looked at him. He couldn't move his hands as they were tied down on the chair with silver. But he could move his face, inhaling the familiar scent of Amelia as she clasped onto him.

"It's alright," she said to him. "Will…it's alright…I'm so sorry…"

"Amelia," he whispered her name. "I know, okay? I know."

Martin and Daniel entered the room then, watching as blood poured from the corner of the fang's eyes. Amelia sniffed loudly, turning her ferocious gaze onto her father.

"What the fuck have you done?" she demanded from him.

"Your little boyfriend here has proven himself quite useful," Martin said to her. "You see, the world is changing, Amelia. The world has to change. It has to adapt. There is no other way."

"What are you talking about?"

"Vampires," Daniel spoke, his hands behind his back. "They are nothing but evil creatures and everyone shall soon see that. Once the earth is rid of them then we will no longer have to live in fear. In order to do that, we need a mass culling."

"What?" Amelia asked, a shiver running through her as she kept her hand on Will's arm. "That's…that's barbaric."

"It's necessary," Daniel was the one to continue speaking. "Will here is our first person to trial the new virus. We call it hepatitis V."

"And what does it do?" Amelia demanded.

"Kills them," Daniel shrugged. "It's modified hepatitis D and works by reducing their immune system. Eventually it will cause the true death. They lose their strength…speed…and end up being covered in these veins."

"You…you did this to him?" Amelia looked to her father. "You told me that he was safe. You told me that he was safe so long as I did as you asked. You promised me and you lied."

"You were never going to see him again," Martin said. "And he was persistent, Amelia. He came to the house looking for you. He knew that you had been lying to him and I couldn't have him snooping around. I threatened his life and he claimed not to care. Now, look where we are."

"Let him go," Amelia snapped. "Let him leave."

"And what?" Martin asked. "Let people know what we are developing down here? Let the press know the truth? Do you think that I would risk that, Amelia? Do you think me so dense?"

"And if we don't?" Amelia asked. "If we just leave-"

"-As if we would believe that," Martin interrupted. "No. He is staying here, Amelia. Besides, I doubt he has much longer left."

"What…but…there has to be a cure?"

"No," Martin said firmly. "Well, not one that we have developed so far. I'll give you ten minutes alone with him. Don't worry, I'm not entirely heartless."

Martin and Daniel left then as Amelia bent down, stroking his pale cheeks as she noted he had lost weight. Will managed a small smile before moving, his lips pressing to hers as he managed to lift his head. Amelia felt her lips remain still before she responded, deepening the kiss before pulling back, her forehead pressed against his.

"I never thought I would do that again," Will whispered, his voice husky.

"I'm sorry," Amelia whispered in a soft voice. "I'm so sorry, Will. I never knew…I didn't know…"

"He told me what he made you do," Will responded. "I know the truth, Amelia, and that's gotten me through. Trust me, I would rather die knowing the truth than die knowing that you hate me."

Amelia scoffed. "I would rather you not die if that is an option."

Will chuckled darkly. "Not anymore, darling," he said in a low drawl. "There's nothing that we can do, Amelia. Just escape him, okay? Just escape him and get away from him. Please."

"I'm not leaving you," Amelia responded, determination evident in her voice. "I am never leaving you. I am going to find a way to get you out of this. I am going to help you."

"Amelia, no," Will said, his voice firm. "He isn't going to let that happen. Just listen to me…run…run away from him."

"No," Amelia said, her voice firmer this time as she bent down to kiss him again, whispering into his ear. "I am going to save you. I…I have someone who might be able to help…someone I can trust."

…

Amelia had been dragged from Will after ten minutes, kissing him one final time before Daniel had dragged her back to her bedroom. He had locked her in there on her father's orders. But she didn't care. She had waited for the day to end and the night to come. Her father had come to see her, but she had laid in bed and looked heartbroken and broken.

It was only when he had bid her goodnight at nine did she move, tossing the duvet back from her body. She was still dressed in her jeans and a sweatshirt. She reached for her ankle boots and opened her window, climbing down to the floor and then running into the night. She hoped that he had waited for her. She hoped that he hadn't left her.

Thankfully, he was still there when she rounded the corner and saw him. He was looking smart, dressed in a dark blue shirt tucked into dark trousers. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and his hair was neatly coiffed. He smiled as soon as he saw her, but his smile disappeared as soon as he noticed the look on her face. Had she confronted her father? But she wasn't crying. She was angry. He could tell that much.

She halted to a stop in front of him, almost tripping over as she made the movement. She caught hold of Godric by the upper arms, clinging onto him as he grabbed her waist, seeing her panting for breath as she looked him in the eye.

"What is it?" Godric asked, voice eager to find out. "Amelia, talk to me."

"I need your help," she said in a husky whisper. "Godric, I need your help."

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

Godric moved to take hold of Amelia by the hand, preferring to talk to her somewhere away from her house. She followed behind him, her grip tight on his fingers as she struggled to keep up with him. Her feet hit the floor quickly until they reached a car. Godric pulled keys out from his pocket and unlocked it. He held the passenger side door open for Amelia and she climbed in before he jumped into the driver's side, locking the doors and putting the key into the ignition.

"Talk to me," he urged from her.

Amelia had her face buried in her hands, struggling to comprehend what had happened. She shook her head back and forth and then looked over to Godric as he continued driving the sleek BMW down the quiet Dallas streets.

"My daddy has Will," she told him in a small voice. "He has Will chained up in some laboratory underneath my house. He's injected with this thing…this disease…Hepatitis V…he's killing him...Godric, he has him."

Godric struggled to understand what she was saying, but he got the gist of it. It took him a couple of moments before he moved one hand from the wheel and towards her, his hand resting on hers on her thigh as he pulled up to a red light.

"Amelia, I know you are distressed," he told her in a soft voice. "But I need you to tell me everything from the start. Okay?"

It was another second before Amelia took a deep breath, clinging onto Godric's hand in hers as the vampire began driving once again, his speed slowing down as he listened intently to what she was telling him.

"I confronted him about Will," Amelia said, trying to recall exactly what had happened to the best of her ability. "I told him that I knew what he had done, but he told me I didn't. He made me follow him into his office and he had this hidden door in his closet. I know that sounds ridiculous. You don't get hidden doors…but…it was…I followed him down into a basement and there was another door…he used his thumbprint to open it. He said there was another entrance a few blocks away."

"I see," Godric said. "And then what happened?"

"It was like there was this massive lab," Amelia blurted out, her tone one of disbelief despite the fact that she had seen it as she shook her head. "There were people working everywhere. I don't know what they were working on, but I don't think it was anything good. But Will was in another room. He was chained down…his….his body was covered in veins…"

"And they had given him something?"

"Hepatitis V," she said. "Does it mean anything to you?"

"I have heard of it," Godric said, his lips pursed tightly as he looked to her and pulled the car into a driveway while Amelia looked up, wondering just where they were as Godric turned the ignition off. "There have been a couple of cases, but nothing wide spread. I did not think that many people could make it."

"Well, my daddy is," Amelia scoffed. "He has a plan to wipe vampires out. I think he has lost his mind. Both him and Daniel want to eradicate them. They're sick…and they're testing it…they have injected Will, Godric. They injected him and he's not himself. He looks sick. He looks gaunt. He's…there's no cure, Godric. There is no cure."

"There must be."

"Daddy said there isn't one that they have developed," Amelia shrugged. "I need to get him out though. I need to try."

"I understand," Godric said to her. "Amelia, we will do everything that we can to get him out. If the press were to get wind of this then there would be trouble. There would be trouble for your father. But I need you to understand that as a sheriff I cannot go rushing in there…it might cause a scene and I do not want anyone to get hurt. The AVL would not be happy with me."

"Then what do we do?" Amelia wondered, but Godric was already out of the car and moving to the passenger side, holding the door open for her. She climbed out the car and instantly she felt Godric wrap an arm around her waist, steering her forwards until she let her eyes look up at the house he was leading her to.

"Where are we?" Amelia enquired from him.

"My nest," Godric told her.

"Nest?" she asked back and Godric nodded.

"My home," he responded in simpler terms. "As a sheriff I have a nest. I live here with two of my most trusted underlings. Stan and Isabel have been helping me to track down Will."

"I see," Amelia responded in a small voice as Godric opened the door to the house.

Amelia almost felt herself gape as she walked into the entrance hall. It was large, but it felt cold and clinical. She could not deny that it was well decorated and filled with all of the modern technologies. Looking around, she almost froze from being startled as she saw two people stood in the living room by a leather sofa. The man was dressed all in black, his hair dark and a beard splattering his face. He looked to Amelia with what she could only describe as disdain. Amelia lowered her gaze from his and then moved to see the woman next to him.

She looked kinder, a softer expression on her face. She glanced over to Amelia, eyeing her with intrigue. She had dark hair and wore a silk shirt tucked into black pants. Her hair was neatly coiffed into a ponytail and her eyes were wide as she looked to Godric.

"Isabel, Stan," Godric spoke. "This is Amelia."

"The human you've been sneaking out every night to see?" Stan asked and Godric glowered over to him, urging for him to be silent. But Stan continued to push Godric. "Why have you brought her here, Sheriff? She's a human? Worse than that, she's a politician's daughter."

Godric's posture straightened up and Amelia swore she felt his grip on her increase. "You are to address Amelia with respect. Is that understood?"

Amelia had never heard Godric speak in such a manner, but his voice seemed rather threatening. He looked to Stan, his glare increasing and the vampire eventually nodded with a grunt.

"Amelia," Godric turned to look down to her. "This is Stan and Isabel."

"Hi," Amelia said meekly, not certain how she felt about being stuck in a room with a vampire who clearly despised her and a vampire who had remained rather silent.

"Amelia is no threat to us, despite who her father is," Godric said calmly. "In fact, her father is acting outside of the law and we will be the ones to bring him to justice."

"What is he doing?"

"Experimenting on vampires," Godric said.

"And why do we not inform the AVL?" Isabel asked.

"We shall," Godric said. "However, we will first act quickly before he gets wind of us knowing what he is doing. He has a vampire kidnapped who we shall release...Will…The AVL will need to be lawful and obtain a warrant to search his premises. By the time that happens this vampire might be dead. We will act accordingly."

"So we need to kill humans?" Stan demanded from his maker.

"No," Godric said quickly. "No one will be harmed. If they attack you then you shall render them unconscious. But no one will die. Is that understood?"

"They are just humans-"

"-Enough," Godric said with haste. "No one will die, Stan. This is not up for discussion."

Stan grunted once more and rolled his eyes. "I don't understand your need to protect them," Stan said and he looked to Amelia. "We are risking ourselves to help her boyfriend. We are doing all of this for a human."

"You forget your place, Stan," Isabel said and Stan shook his head.

"Or maybe our Sheriff has forgotten his?" Stan said and his eyes turned to Amelia.

Godric was in front of him in a second then, leaving Amelia stood by herself as she wrapped her arms around herself, hugging herself tightly as she looked down to the ground, not wanting to get involved in this dispute between Godric and Stan. She didn't want to involve herself as it was not her place.

"I know my place," Godric said to Stan. "I am your Sheriff and you will do well to remember that, Stan. I trust you and I share my home with you, but I will not stand here and listen to you question my judgment."

Stan said nothing and Godric's voice went even lower.

"Is that understood?"

Stan nodded and Godric gave a blunt nod of his head before looking between the two of them. His eyes landed on Isabel after a second.

"Isabel, please inform the AVL of this news. They will, no doubt, wish to speak with Amelia when they arrive here. Call them and then prepare to leave."

"Yes, Godric," Isabel said and she stalked off.

"Either you come with us and follow my rules or you stay here," Godric informed Stan. "Make your decision. We leave in five minutes."

Godric turned away from Stan then and looked to Amelia, holding his hand out to her. She took hold of it, turning her head over her shoulder to look to Stan for one final time before she followed Godric out of the living room. He led her to the staircase and up the steps as she spoke to him.

"So what is the plan?" Amelia enquired from Godric. "I imagine that the lab has some very good security even if there is no one there. Besides, I don't know where the entrance to it is apart from in my house and you need me to let you in or else you can't get into it."

"I doubt it will be difficult for us to gain access," Godric said to her. "You forget that we are vampires. Besides, you said that there was an entrance a couple of blocks from your house."

"Yeah, but I don't know where," Amelia said.

"Again, we will find it with ease," Godric said and he pushed a door open with one hand. "You can rest here for the night."

Amelia blinked profusely then as she dropped his hand from hers and turned to look up to him, her arms folded over her chest as she looked at him defiantly, unable to stop herself from feeling some anger bubble inside of her. Godric looked slightly down to her, his eyes focused on her as he saw her cheeks tinge red and he knew that she was upset.

"I am coming with you," she said to him.

"No, you are not," Godric responded. "Amelia, we can deal with this. You are staying here."

"I don't think so," she said with a firm shake of her head and Godric let out an infuriated sigh. "I am coming."

"Amelia," Godric sighed her name. "I do not want to risk you being hurt. If your father is there…or your fiancé…I do not wish to see you hurt by them or their poisonous words. I do not want to risk you. Trust me when I tell you that I will be able to deal with this. I am strong enough and Stan and Isabel are too. Please, do this for me."

Amelia furrowed her brows as Godric moved a hand to her cheek, brushing her hair behind her shoulder as he looked down to her and noted how she shuddered slightly. He didn't know if it was from nerves, the cold, or his touch. Looking to her with intrigue, Godric wondered what was running through her mind before she nodded her head.

"You are risking so much for me," she said. "Why?"

"Because it is the right thing to do," Godric said. "It is the right thing to do and I have spent a lot of years doing the wrong thing. Perhaps it is time to put some of that right. Besides, you have been nothing but kind and a friend to me, Amelia. Allow me to help you."

"Thank you," Amelia said and moved to kiss him on the cheek without thinking as Godric smiled to her and nodded. "But I am still coming with you."

Godric rolled his eyes as he watched her begin to move back to the staircase.

"Fine, but you are staying in the car," he said as she began to argue again. But Godric could be equally as stubborn.

…

Amelia had been prepared to climb out of the car as soon as they had located the hidden entrance. Godric had Isabel look at satellite images for anything that looked abnormal and she soon found an abandoned warehouse with, what looked like, a checkpoint outside of it. Stan had knocked the guards unconscious before Amelia could even climb from the car.

She opened the back door, but Godric was quick. He looked to her as he stopped her from climbing out. "I told you that you are staying in the car," he said and before she could open her mouth to argue, Godric had pushed her back into the SUV and locked the door. She tried to pull the handle and bang on the window, but the three vampires had already disappeared.

"Son of a bitch," Amelia complained as she contemplated how to get out the vehicle.

She didn't know how long had passed before she saw them re-emerge. Fear took hold of her as she saw Isabel walking ahead. But then a few paces behind were Godric and Stan, a vampire dangling between them. Amelia pulled on the handle until Godric unlocked the car. Stumbling out, she rushed towards Will, seeing how his head was bowed and his eyes hooded.

"Will," Amelia exclaimed, moving to him as she walked backwards as they continued to drag him to the car. "Will, come on."

Will managed to open his eyes and smile at hearing her. Amelia managed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"He's weak," Godric said, evidently stating the obvious. "He needs blood."

"He can have mine," Amelia said.

"No," Godric said quickly. "If he infects you then I do not know the consequences. I do not know what might happen. I have Tru Blood at the nest. Isabel and Stan can fetch more before the sun rises."

Nodding, Amelia watched as Godric helped Will into the backseat of the car and Isabel went to sit next to him on his other side. Looking to Godric, Amelia moved her arms around his neck, clinging onto him tightly as she whispered into his ear.

"Thank you," she said gratefully and he returned her embrace for a moment, his hands finding her waist as he noted Will sat in the backseat, his gaze on Godric. The two vampires looked at each other for a brief moment before Godric let Amelia go with a forced smile as he watched her scramble into the car and fuss over Will.

…

"So how did you become involved with the Sheriff of Dallas?"

"You know Godric?"

Will scoffed as he sat up in the bed in the guest room, his back propped up by cushions. Amelia remained knelt in front of him, her hand holding his and her thumb running over his knuckles. His other hand held a bottle of Tru Blood, but he was hardly drinking it.

"Who doesn't know Godric?" Will asked her. "He's only one of the oldest vampires in the world. Plus, he's a Sheriff."

"I know," Amelia said.

"So how did you meet him?"

Amelia shrugged and looked down to the bed. "It's complicated," she said. "I went out one night with Maria. You remember her, right?"

Will chuckled. "She's still rebelling against her parents?"

"You know she is," Amelia rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I couldn't find her and I was wandering the streets when this vampire tried to attract me. I don't know why Godric was there, but he stopped him from attacking me."

"Were you hurt?" Will demanded, concern evident in his voice as Amelia shook her head and looked to him.

"I'm fine," she promised him. "Well, he bit me, but nothing else happened."

"Amelia," Will complained. "What have I told you about being careful at night?"

"I know," Amelia said in a drawl. "Anyway, we…we sort of met again and he…he asked me about my daddy and I think he was shocked that I was nothing like him. Since then we just decided to keep meeting and talking. It's been nice to talk to someone who doesn't want anything from me or expect me to act in a certain manner."

Amelia left out the detail about Godric wanting to commit suicide. She didn't know entirely why she didn't tell Will, but she kept it to herself. She chewed down on her tongue, wondering if she should feel guilty for not telling him the whole truth. But it was not hers to tell. She didn't know if Stan or Isabel even knew. And so she omitted some of the details.

"Really?" Will asked, sounding slightly intrigued. "Seems strange that the Sheriff would involve himself with a human."

"Why?" Amelia wondered. "You did."

Will chuckled then and coughed, the strain pulling on his chest as Amelia squeezed his hand and adjusted his pillows behind him with her free hand before pulling back.

"Yeah," Will said. "The only difference is that I fell in love with you, Amelia."

Her lips quirked at hearing that. "I am sorry, Will," she said. "I never knew what he was going to do. I never knew…"

"Hey," Will urged from her, putting his bottle down on the bedside table before moving his hand to cup her cheek. "Amelia, don't cry. Everything is going to be alright now. Everything is going to be alright."

"How is it?" she enquired from him, struggling to hold herself together. "He's injected you with a deadly virus, Will. My own father did this to you. How can any of this be alright?"

"Because you are free from him and his lies," Will said to her. "Amelia, you are free now and that is all I ever wanted. Listening to Daniel coming down and taunting me…telling me about you…about how he had touched you…kissed you…"

"Don't worry," Amelia said. "He only touched me once and he was repulsed by the scars on my thighs."

"Nothing about you is disgusting, darling," Will told her.

"I'm still sorry."

"And if I have to hear you apologise again then I might just have to make you stop."

"Yeah, but I am-"

He silenced her then, leaning forwards until his lips pressed against hers. She closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the feeling of him kissing her as he moved his lips over hers. He could only manage a few seconds of kissing her before he flopped back against the pillows and she saw beads of sweat drop down his forehead.

"You're warm," she commented. "I'll run you a bath to cool you down."

"I'm..."

He trailed off as he heard a knock on the door. A moment later, Godric appeared, still dressed in a dark shirt and pants. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and his arms folded over his chest. He walked into the room as Amelia uncurled herself from the bed. Will watched on for a moment, noticing how Godric's eyes instinctively went to Amelia. He smirked then and nodded to himself.

"I am sorry for interrupting," Godric commented, looking between the two of them. "However, there have been some developments."

"What has happened?" Amelia enquired.

"The AVL will be here tomorrow at sunset," Godric said. "They wish to speak with you both before they take any action against your father. I have no doubt by now your father has discovered what has happened. Thankfully there were only a couple of people in the lab and the guards who we had to knock unconscious and glamour once we removed their contacts."

"He will know I had something to do with it once he discovers I am missing."

"I do not doubt it," Godric said. "He will attempt to establish contact. Do you have your cell with you?"

"Yeah."

"It needs to be destroyed. I do not trust your father not to trace it," Godric said. "That is if you do not wish to be found?"

"I need to keep Will safe," Amelia said and she pulled her cell from her pocket and handed it to Godric. He pocketed it and made a note to destroy it momentarily. "So what happens now? We just wait for the AVL?"

"That is all we can do," Godric said. "It will be sunrise soon, but do not fret. The house is secure and the rooms are all protected from the light. You will be safe here."

"Thank you, Godric," Amelia said, running a hand down his arm. "Do you mind if I run a bath for Will? He's too warm."

"Of course," Godric nodded. "The bathroom is across the hall and there are clean towels in the linen cupboard in the bathroom."

"Thank you," Amelia smiled and left for the bathroom.

Godric rocked back and forth on his heels for a moment before nodding to Will.

"How long have you known Amelia?" Will decided to ask before he could leave. Godric remained stood up, arms folded.

"A couple of weeks," he responded. "She is a very nice young woman."

Will chuckled. "You don't need to pretend, Sheriff." He said, gulping as he struggled for breath for a moment. "She's a stunning young woman, not just nice. I wouldn't blame you for thinking deeper about her."

Godric shook his head. "We are just friends," Godric said. "Did she tell you how we met?"

"She said you saved her from a vampire."

"And why we kept on meeting?" Godric asked.

"She said you just sort of…well…clicked."

Godric chuckled and moved closer to the bed, eyes on the floor. "Perhaps we did," he said, "but there was another reason. I knew her father and I knew his association with the Fellowship of the Sun and his position on vampires. For a while now I have been thinking about handing myself into them. I have been thinking about discovering just what it might be like to end this…end it all."

Will furrowed his brow at hearing Godric. "Meeting the sun?"

Godric nodded. "After two thousand years on this planet, I do not know what more I can see," he admitted. "I wanted Amelia to set up a meeting with her father, but she refused. She…she told me to give her two months in order for her to get me to change my mind."

Will's mouth gaped then and Godric chuckled at his expression.

"She has done nothing but help me and in return I helped her to save you," Godric admitted. "She did not tell you why we met because, no doubt, she did not wish to tell my story. She is kind and considerate. She is always thinking about others."

"Sounds like Amelia," Will muttered. "And has she managed to persuade you?"

Godric's lips tightened then. "I am uncertain."

"Christ what I wouldn't give to be in your shoes," Will muttered and turned his stare to Godric. "Do you know how lucky you are? You are alive. Technically, you might be dead, but you are still here. I'm not going to make it to the end of the month and I want what you have, yet you stand there and speak of death as if it is nothing to fear."

Godric's brow arched. "When you have been alive for as long as I have-"

"-I don't care," Will interrupted, knowing how he spoke out of place. "If I could have two thousand years with Amelia then it still wouldn't be enough. Instead I have to make do with weeks…maybe days…so don't throw all of this way because of some whim."

Godric remained intrigued as Will took a deep breath and then continued talking.

"Because eventually she will move on," Will spoke. "I will die and she will move on. She has to. There is no other option. She will continue with life and she needs someone who cares for her. She needs someone who isn't going to use her and hurt her and I see how you look at her. I see the way your eyes instantly went to her when you walked in here."

"We are friends," Godric responded.

"Yeah, for now," Will said. "And as a friend you should be there for her. She has human friends, but they are selfish. They always have been. She needs someone who isn't going to put themselves first. She needs someone to look out for her just as she looks out for everyone else. And…at the moment…I think you're the only one fitting that bill, Sheriff."

Godric confessed himself shocked. It had been many years since someone had dared to speak to him in such a manner as Will was doing. It took him a few seconds before he nodded his head and seemed to consider the words he was listening to.

"I need you to promise me, Sheriff," Will said and moved to his feet, knowing that Amelia would almost be finished running the bath. "Promise me you won't abandon her."

Godric seemed to consider what he was hearing before the door opened and Amelia walked back in, a towel over her shoulder as she looked at the two vampires staring at each other. Will looked to Amelia as Godric did the same, his eyes entranced by her as he noted she had pulled her hair into a ponytail and had splashed her face with water. Godric could then only look to Will and nod his silent agreement.

"Is everything alright?" Amelia wondered from them.

"Perfect," Will managed a smile in her direction as she came to him and took him by the waist, helping him to move to the door. He turned his head over his shoulder to look to Godric, but the Sheriff had his eyes fixed somewhere else. Or should he say, on someone else.

…

A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who is reading. I do hope you will let me know what you think!


	7. Chapter 7

Amelia had watched as Will slept during the day, her mind whirling on what might happen that night when the AVL turned up. She had tried to sleep and she had managed a couple of hours, watching Will as exhaustion took hold of him. She had stroked his hair back from his face, her fingers tangling into his blond locks as she felt silent tears roll down her cheeks. She didn't want this to be the end. She didn't want him to leave her, but she knew that if there was no cure then there was no hope.

She needed him back. She needed her Will back because all she felt was guilt over what had happened to him. She should have never been so foolish to involve herself with a vampire. This would never have happened to him if she had just told him she wasn't interested.

Before she could openly sob, she moved from the bed and checked the clock on the bedside table. She looked back to Will, the veins protruding from his neck where the silk pyjamas Godric had leant him didn't cover him. Wiping her eyes, she left the room and moved down the staircase and looked to the front door. She remained still on the bottom step, wondering what would happen if she left.

If she returned home then it would all be over. All of it would be over. Her father didn't have Will anymore. Her father had no one. But he had the potential to harm other people. He had the potential to harm those she was close to. She had seen him harm Will. Who was to say that he wouldn't come after Will again? Or Godric? She would never forgive herself. She didn't know just how twisted her father could be.

"Don't."

Amelia turned her head to the side of the staircase to see Godric sat in the kitchen, perched on a stool at the breakfast bar. There were notes in front of him and his eyes were set down on them. He had a pen in his fingers that he was twirling. He had sensed Amelia there for some time, but he had let her stew in her own thoughts, wondering if she would come to a sensible conclusion. As time ticked on, he suspected that was unlikely.

"I did this to him," Amelia whispered, her voice husky and low. "I did this to him by being with him."

Godric slipped down from the seat then as she finally stepped down the last step and turned into the kitchen, moving towards Godric as she shrugged and looked him in the eye. He saw the tears in her eyes and the red tint on her cheeks.

She shrugged again before flapping her hands by her side. "I did this to him because I dated him," she informed Godric. "What would my daddy do if he found him again? Or if he found you? Godric, I'm too dangerous to be around. I'm too dangerous and I care too much."

"There is nothing more that he can do," Godric promised her. "Once the AVL hear our testimonies and discover what is happening then they will have no other option but to act. Any power that your father has will be lost. He will be ruined."

"That's the problem," Amelia said and she found herself moving to sit on the stool next to the one Godric had occupied. Godric sat back on top of it, turning to the side to face her. He kept one foot on the ground and another on the metal bar of the stool. "I don't trust him, Godric. I don't trust him to be gone…to be ruined…I…I'm scared of my own father. How sad is that? I'm so scared of what he can do."

Moving a hand to the small of her back, Godric let his hand rest there, moving up and down a couple of times as he tried to soothe her. He saw her lower her eyes and he couldn't help but think that this wasn't the Amelia he had grown to know and care for. She seemed broken. She looked destroyed. Long gone was the fight inside of her. Her spritely spirit had disappeared. She looked more human than he had ever seen her.

"Nothing shall happen," Godric whispered, hoping that he could soothe her to some extent as he went to take hold of her hand on the worktop. "Amelia, I will ensure that nothing will happen."

"That's the thing," Amelia said, silent tears still falling down her cheeks as she looked over to him. "I trust you, Godric. I know that you will do your best to make sure that is true, but I just…I just don't know if you can make sure nothing will happen. I don't know if that is possible."

"Amelia," Godric said and he felt pity for her. He didn't want to see her like this. He never wanted to see her like this. "I will not keep you locked away here. It is your decision, but I want you to stay. I want you to stay here and I am certain that Will wants you to stay here."

"I don't want him to die, Godric," Amelia said and wiped her eyes with the back of one of her hands. "I just don't know how to save him."

Godric gulped then. "We shall speak with the AVL and discuss what can be done."

"There's no cure," Amelia said. "Unless you're hiding one that I don't know about?"

"I wish," Godric told her. "Just be with him, Amelia. Do not run from him. I think that would break his heart."

Amelia nodded then and looked to Godric, her eyes searching his. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this."

Godric managed a slim smile then as he dared to wrap his arms around her, holding her to him as he allowed her to cry for as long as she needed. She slipped from the stool, her cheek pressing against the hollow base of his throat as he felt her warm tears against his cold skin. Her arms wrapped around his waist and he moved a hand down her hair, stroking it softly and slowly as he did his best not to wonder about what Will had said earlier.

He could not deny that, after years of avoiding human contact, the feeling of warm skin against his cold skin was one that was quite pleasant. Amelia had a pleasant feeling to her too. Her body was soft and supple, her hair smelt of strawberry. Godric shook his head. He shouldn't be thinking like this. She belonged to someone else. She was a human. And, most importantly, she was simply his friend.

Had it been so long since Godric had allowed himself to grow close to someone outside of his circle that he developed feelings so easily? He had closed himself off for the past hundred years, knowing full well that he was destined not to find love. He had indulged in plenty of relationships in the past. Many had not been meaningful and most of the humans had ended up just being a meal before he repented for his actions. He doubted he could ever fully repent for his sins.

But Amelia felt different. He didn't know why. Every human woman he had previously met had been very similar. He looked back on them as a blur. What made Amelia so different? He didn't know. He suspected it was because he had been shocked following their first real conversation. She had cried over him when she did not know him. She had done nothing but show him kindness. She had asked for nothing in return. She had only asked for him to give her his time.

Shaking his head, Godric knew that he couldn't start thinking too deeply into things. He couldn't start questioning everything. And so he stopped. It was wrong. Amelia was a friend. She had proven herself to be a very good friend, but that was all. There could be nothing else. There could be nothing else in his mind. He inwardly cursed Will for putting the thoughts there.

It took a few moments before she pulled back and away from Godric, nodding to him as he moved his hands to wipe her tears away. She sniffed and looked to him.

"I'm sorry," she said in a gentle voice. "I've managed to wet your shirt."

"Don't worry about it," he urged her. "You should go and try to get some more rest."

"Why are you not sleeping? The sun is still out."

"I can wake a few hours earlier than everyone else," he responded. "It is my age."

"I have never seen you drink either," she responded.

"I require little blood," Godric said. "I suppose there are benefits to being old."

"I guess," Amelia said. "I should go back to Will. Thanks…for everything…it means a lot to me, Godric. It means more than I think you know."

"You are welcome," Godric responded and he watched as she returned back to the guest room, sighing and shaking his head as he watched her go.

…

Amelia had somehow managed to change Will into a pair of jeans and a short sleeved shirt. She constantly had a look of fear and apprehension on her face as she sat on the long sofa in the living room next to Will. Isabel had been kind enough to lend her a green dress to wear. Godric had watched her as she moved into the living room, the green dress sitting just above her chest and clinging to her stomach before coming down to her knees. She had flat black shoes on her feet and her hair had been freshly washed. Godric almost felt his eyes widen at the sight of her as she helped Will sit down on the sofa.

She had perched next to him, both of her hands holding onto his as she angled his body to his, almost in a protective stance. Isabel and Stan found themselves loitering in a corner, waiting with patience for the AVL to turn up. It wasn't long before there was a knock on the door and Godric went to answer.

Amelia looked to the woman who was walking in and realised she recognised her from TV. Nan Flanagan stormed into the sitting room and she looked completely different to the woman Amelia had seen on TV. She looked more determined and ruthless. She looked to Amelia and then to Will.

"It seems as though you weren't fucking me around," she said bluntly as her eyes remained on Will.

"I would never lie to you, Ms Flanagan," Godric spoke politely and he rolled his eyes behind her back as she sat down in the seat he usually occupied, leaving him no option but to sit to the side of Amelia. "As you can see, Will here has been injected with Hepatitis V."

"Hep V?" Nan echoed. "I thought that had died out. The humans had promised to stop making it."

"The man who made it is not entirely a fan of vampires." Godric spoke.

"So you told me. Martin Jones, however, offered to let us look around his house today and, guess what? We found nothing. There was no secret base. There was no hidden door. There was nothing."

So that was why she was angry. Amelia shook her head then as she felt Will squeeze onto her fingers.

"There is," Amelia said firmly. "It is there. He must have hidden it. He must have-"

"-Trust me," Nan interrupted. "We were thorough and we found nothing. So, this secret laboratory doesn't exist. The base entrance at the warehouse is non-existent. It leads nowhere."

"How…" Amelia trailed off, unsure of what she was going to say as Will chuckled and leaned back.

"He's too good to be caught," Will whispered.

"And he did this to you?" Nan continued.

"Yes," Will said. "He injected me and kept me captured."

"We can attest to that," Isabel finally spoke up and nudged Stan who also grunted in the affirmative.

"We went to rescue him," Godric said and Nan shook her head.

"Are you all idiots?" she demanded from him. "You stormed into someone's house to rescue a vampire? What if there had been humans there?"

"There were," Godric spoke, "but we did not harm them. We glamoured them and knocked them unconscious. Ms Flanagan, with all due respect, if we had not gone last night then who knows what might have happened to Will. If Martin Jones has somehow managed to make an entire lab disappear then who knows what he would have done to Will? He destroyed the evidence. That might have meant that he would have destroyed Will."

"Even so," Nan drawled, clearly not impressed, "you went there with no back up and it had the potential to be an absolute fuck up. You know that. And worse than that, there is no evidence and there is nothing that we can do."

"What?" Amelia blurted out, but Will took hold of her by the thigh then, his grip intense as he urged her to keep quiet. "I saw my own father hurt him. Does my word mean nothing? Does the fact that he is dying mean nothing?"

Nan turned her gaze onto Amelia and Godric lowered his eyes for a moment.

"It is your word against his word and the fact that your boyfriend has Hep V means shit if you can't prove who did it to him. That's the problem with he said and she said, no one ever knows who to believe."

"But I am telling the truth!" Amelia snapped.

"You might be, but Senator Jones is powerful and there is no evidence against him so that is that," Nan shrugged. "The AVL do not want to take this any further. We are not trying to cause a war between humans and vampires. We are trying to make peace and Senator Jones has done nothing. He let us into his house, for fuck sake. He told us how his daughter was concocting this ridiculous plot as an act of rebellion with her boyfriend. What would it look like if we pushed this any further? Last night your foolish stunt had the potential to be a disaster, Sheriff."

"I was protecting the vampires in my area," Godric responded.

"Yeah, or you're too concerned with your new little pet," Nan retorted.

It took a moment before Amelia realised she was the one being talked about and she pointed to herself. "I am no one's pet," she snapped. "So what? You are telling me that there is nothing? You can do nothing despite the fact my daddy has killed him?"

"There is no cure and there is no evidence it was your father," Nan said. "I am sorry, Miss Jones, but there is nothing more that we can do. We cannot go on a witch-hunt for a man without any evidence. I'm afraid, that is not how the law works."

"This is ridiculous."

"This is how it is," Nan said. "The AVL will keep a close watch on your father, but we are not risking peace for the sake of one vampire with no evidence."

Amelia did not sit around for any longer. She moved to her feet and took the stairs back to the guest bedroom. Godric almost moved from his seat to follow her, but Will was quicker despite his weakness. Godric left him to go after Amelia. Will soon found her pacing in the bedroom and he moved towards her, catching her by the waist and pulling her into his arms.

"I'll go to any TV station or newspaper that will listen to me…I'm not letting him get away with this…"

"Amelia, if you do that then the AVL won't back you. People will talk about you…gossip…I don't want that for you, Amelia. I want you to move on. I want you to keep going."

"How can you ask that of me?" she demanded, pulling back in his grip. "Will, I can't let him get away with this."

"And you didn't," Will promised her. "You didn't let him win because you got me out. You got me away from him, Amelia. He didn't get away with this because you're free now."

"I would rather be back there than see you like this," she told him and he shook his head.

"I would not," he said to her. "Amelia, there is no cure for me. When this is over then you need to go. You need to go and be you again…be the girl I fell in love with."

Her brows knitted together. "How can you ask that of me?"

"It is because I love you why I ask that of you," he responded. "Amelia, you were going to do so much. You were going to be a teacher. You were going to live your own life. You are not going to spend the rest of your life living under your father's thumb when I've gone. Do you understand me?"

His voice was forceful as he urged her to look him in the eye. He saw the tears staining her cheeks and he longed to make them stop. All he could do was wipe them away as he cupped her cheeks in his fingers, looking down onto the beauty in his hold.

"I want revenge as much as you do, trust me," Will promised her in a solemn voice. "But I want you to move on from him more. That is what I want."

"I should have known," Amelia whispered. "I should never have let you take me on that date."

"Yeah, but then I wouldn't have gotten to know you."

"I'm not worth dying for, Will," she said, her voice deadpan as she looked him in the eye.

"You're worth so much more," he whispered and moved to kiss her, wondering just where he might be in the future.

...

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	8. Chapter 8

Amelia had managed to help Will change back into his pyjamas as the sun threatened to rise the following morning. She yawned loudly as she laid in his arms, his hand running through her hair, toying with the ends of it as she kept a fist balled up on his chest, her own eyes closed as the two of them remained content in each other's company.

"You know he couldn't keep his eyes off you," Will spoke and Rachel arched a brow, opening her eyes and peering up to Will as a smirk remained on his face.

"Who?" she wondered.

"Godric," he spoke his name. "Not that I can blame him. You do look terribly appetising in that tight green dress."

Amelia slapped him on the chest and rolled onto her front, her elbows bent as her hands held her chin and she continued to watch Will smirk. She shook her head as she kicked her legs up behind her, her eyes searching Will's as a teasing look remained on his features.

"You do know that women generally don't like being called appetising, right? I'm not a snack for you."

"Hot…beautiful…sexy…whatever," Will shrugged. "He was still looking at you, you know that, right?"

"Does Hep V cause delusions?" she enquired and Will rolled his eyes, moving a hand to stroke her hair and sweep her locks behind her shoulder.

"Ha, ha," he drawled sarcastically. "I am being serious, Amelia. He looks at you a lot. How have you not noticed?"

"Because Godric is my friend," Amelia responded. "You're making this up, Will. You do know he is over two thousand years old, right? He's probably had his fair share of women and besides, he's a really good friend, Will. He got you out, didn't he?"

"Yeah, for you," Will responded. "He did it all for you, Amelia. I think that is more than friendship."

"Pack it in," Amelia urged from him, hitting him on his chest gently. "There is nothing going on between me and Godric. We are friends. It's you I love and I am certain that Godric can do so much better than me. He's had years to find someone."

"That's the thing," Will said. "I don't think that he could. You always did put yourself down, Amelia, when actually, you're one of the cleverest, kindest and prettiest girls I've ever met."

"One of, huh?" she joked with him as she pulled herself from the bed and reached for the pyjamas that Isabel had loaned her. She moved her hands to the zip at the back of the dress she wore as she saw Will roll his eyes.

"You know what I mean," Will said. "I'm just saying, Amelia, that I don't want you to mope over me after I've gone. I mean, a respectful period of mourning would be nice, but I do want you to move on…and if…if you do fancy Godric then-"

"-Oh my God," Amelia complained, pulling the dress down to her ankles and stepping out of it, leaving her clad in only her black underwear as she reached for the pants of the pyjama set, shimmying her legs into them as she pulled the waistband up to her hips. "Will, there is nothing going on between us. We are friends and that is all. I appreciate you…for…well…I don't know," she admitted. "I don't know what you are trying to do, but there is nothing going on there."

"I'm just saying," Will drawled, doing his best not to let his eyes linger on her bare skin too much as she tugged the shirt on and began buttoning it up. "When you do move on then I think you could do a lot worse than someone like Godric. Despite your obliviousness, he quite clearly feels something for you."

"Yeah," Amelia said, tugging the band around her wrist free as she tied her hair into a ponytail. "It's friendship. I've told you this. Do you need me to spell it out?"

"I don't think the Hep V affected my ability to spell," he said dryly and she rolled her eyes, turning out the main light and reaching for the bedside light. "But fine, if there is no feelings there then my point still stands. I want you to move on."

"Don't," Amelia urged from him, tugging the duvet back from the bed as she shook her head. "Will, I'm not going to make you promises like that. I'm not going to tell you that I will be fine when you've gone. I won't be. I need you. Do you not see that?"

"That's where you're wrong," Will responded, daring to wrap his arms and draw her closer to him. "You're strong enough on your own, Amelia, but I just don't want you to be alone."

"Yeah, well, I've managed fine for a while," Amelia muttered. "Anyway, you need to sleep. Stop letting your overactive mind play tricks on you."

Will chuckled and kissed her tenderly on her forehead before drifting into sleep.

…

Sitting back on the sofa, Amelia rolled the sleeve to the jumper she wore up and above her elbow. Godric was crouched in front of her while Will was sat in the armchair. Wiping an alcohol wipe over her skin, Godric kept one hand on her forearm as his other hand moved gently, cleaning her skin as she looked down to him, wondering what he was thinking.

"So will this work?" Amelia enquired.

"No," Will was the one to answer. "Giving me your blood will just keep me alive. It's delaying the inevitable."

"Then that's good," Amelia said, looking over to him as she let Godric fiddle with the needle and the blood bag that he was holding. "Will, I've just got you back. If this can help you then I'm going to do it."

Will said nothing, but he nodded his head. Instead he let his eyes move to the Sheriff as he continued to kneel on the floor in front of Amelia. He finally finished connecting the tubes to the blood bag and the needle. Looking to Amelia, he let his eyes meet hers, a moment of awkwardness passing between them. Did she know what Will had discussed with him? Did he know what Will had discussed with her? Was there any truth to any of it?

Godric nodded and moved his hand back to her arm, turning it until he saw the inside of it.

"Are you sure about this?" Godric wondered from her.

"If this is the safest way for him to have my blood then yes," Amelia nodded.

"This might sting," Godric said to her.

He was right. Slowly, he pushed the needle into her arm and she winced, closing her eyes and moaning once in pain. Godric paused his movement as she looked over to Will and he was about to say something before she managed a small nod and smile. Godric pulled off a piece of medical tape and placed it over the needle, keeping it in place. Moving to hover over her, Godric urged her to sit back fully as he took hold of the blood bag.

"Make sure she doesn't give too much," Will said.

"Of course," Godric spoke and he sat down next to her, holding the blood bag lower than her arm so that the blood flowed easier. Amelia looked down to it for a moment and shook her head.

"How can I be okay with being bitten but I hate the sight of needles?" she wondered.

"Because usually being bitten is done during more intimate moments," Will said before he could control himself.

There was an awkward silence around the room then and Amelia looked to her boyfriend as he shrugged his shoulders and Godric continued to look at the blood, a smirk forming on his lips as he pictured the blush on Amelia's face and sensed her lightly and silently scolding her boyfriend for his words.

"Where have Isabel and Stan gone?" Amelia enquired, changing the topic completely.

"They are running errands this evening for me," Godric said to her. "I am well aware that I have no human food in the house. I have sent Isabel to the store to fetch some for you."

"Oh…I would have gone," Amelia said.

"It is no bother," Godric spoke. "And Stan has gone out with friends for the evening."

"I know he hates me," Amelia said.

"Has he said something to you?" Will demanded from her and she saw his fists clench. She rolled her eyes and threw him a soft smirk.

"Settle down, Romeo," she said. "He hasn't done anything that requires you to go all defensive. I just know that he isn't that fond of me. That's it."

"Stan has never truly appreciated the relationship that can exist between vampires and humans," Godric said to Will. "However, while he is under my roof, he shall keep his opinions to himself. He will treat Amelia with nothing but respect."

"Glad to hear it," Will muttered and Godric went back to looking at the blood bag.

"Amelia, try clenching your fist. It might help the blood flow quicker," Godric urged from her and she did as he had asked and tilted her head back against the sofa back while Godric looked over to her, his eyes scanning her face as she closed her eyes and let out a low breath.

Moving his gaze back to the ground, it took another few minutes before the bag was filled. Godric moved with haste then, kneeling down in front of her as he pulled the bag out and sealed it shut. He moved with haste as Amelia sat up slightly and felt him take hold of her arm once again.

"How do you know how to do this?" she wondered from him.

"You don't exist for over two thousand years without finding out how to safely extract blood from a human," Godric said to her and moved to pull the needle out from her arm, covering the small prick with a plaster. He finished putting the equipment back into a box before moving to the kitchen and Will shot Amelia a knowing look.

She rolled her eyes at him before she saw Godric return, her blood poured into a large glass. She almost felt the need to balk at the sight. Handing the glass to Will, Amelia moved to her feet, feeling slightly unsteady as she stood across from Will.

"How does it taste?" she dared to wonder from him.

He chuckled and nodded his head, taking a long slurp before pulling the glass from his lips. "Just as I remember."

"It looks disgusting," Amelia said with a sniff of her nose.

"On the contrary, it is delicious."

"You're draining it," Amelia said as she saw him nearly finish the glass. "Do you need more?"

"I have taken enough," he said to her. "This will keep me strong enough for now, Amelia. Honestly, I will be fine. I can't take anymore from you. You need your own blood. Besides, you're looking a little pale."

"I'm fine," Amelia said. "Although I am feeling hungry now."

"Isabel should return soon," Godric assured her.

"I'll be fine," she said, throwing him a kind smile. "Anyway, I do have a favour to ask."

"Anything," Godric said and Will watched as the vampire looked to her with a kind expression. It was the same expression Will had when he had first met Amelia and grown to know her. He would do anything to make her happy.

"I need to call my mother," she said and there was silence. "I know," Amelia said, addressing the concern, "but she would not tell him. She's…I feel bad that she is alone with him."

"I have a burner cell," Godric spoke. "You may use if it you so wish."

"Thank you," she said.

Godric returned seconds later with the device and Amelia moved off and up the steps to the guest room. Will continued to drink the remainder of her blood as Godric took a seat on the sofa.

"The AVL weren't happy, were they?" Will said and Godric felt himself smirk despite everything. "I know Nan Flanagan can be a bitch."

"She is not the easiest of vampires to get along with," Godric responded coyly. "Regardless, I have kept my position as Sheriff for now so long as I do not embarrass them again. Nan was more concerned about the disaster that could have happened by me extracting you than anything else. The AVL has an image to maintain."

"She knows that if you hadn't have come when you did then he would have got wind and had me…well…"

"She knows it, but I did act outside of my powers," Godric said.

"And you knew that before you came for me."

"Indeed I did," Godric responded.

"Yet you still came," he said to him.

"Amelia loves you," Godric responded. "I know that and, contrary to what you might think, I did not rescue you in order to win favour with her. I did it because it was the right thing to do and Amelia is my friend. I did the right thing and I helped her."

Will nodded his head. "I get that," he said to him. "It just seems an awful lot to risk for a girl you've known for a couple of weeks."

"She risks an awful lot by meeting with me," Godric said. "I take no pleasure in seeing people suffer as she has done. I did what needed to be done and that is all that there is to it, I am afraid. I would do it again if I had to."

"Glad to hear it," Will said with a nod. "And I get that you two are just friends. You've both said it often enough, but I mean…I've got to say, I did notice you looking at her ass when she was wearing that green dress."

Godric did his best to splutter something out, wondering how he could be tongue tied after his many years on the earth. He took a moment before he heard Will chuckle and he looked to him, wondering what was going on in his mind.

"My gaze must have slipped," Godric managed to say.

"You know, it's fine," Will said. "I mean, I couldn't stop staring for a while."

"It was not my intention to stare," Godric said and Will chuckled again.

"Look, I know that the two of you are just friends, but you don't need to lie to me," Will said. "She…I know that she loves me and would never do anything to hurt me, just as I would do nothing to hurt her. But just tell me the truth…just don't lie to me."

Godric gulped then as Will took another sip of blood, his brows arched on his forehead as he expectantly waited for an answer from Godric. He deserved that much at least. It took Godric a couple of moments to speak.

"I have spent years distancing myself from people," Godric informed him. "Humans…vampires…everyone. In the past I did some terrible things to people. I didn't control my urges as I do now. I have had relationships with people…well…they were not relationships, so much."

"Conquests?" Will tried to provide the correct word.

Godric shrugged. "Women who were entranced by the idea of being with a vampire," he said. "This was many years ago when we were not able to be as open as we are now. The women were enjoyable, I cannot deny that. Many of them were kind enough too, but many of them simply enjoyed the thrill of being with someone dangerous."

"And that was bad?"

"None of them truly wanted to know me for who I am," Godric spoke. "I closed myself off. If I had not found a mate in a thousand years then I doubted there would be any hope for me. I focused on repenting for my previous sins and took the position of Sheriff over a hundred years ago. I never permitted myself a chance to meet anyone else."

"Until Amelia?"

"Until Amelia," Godric echoed back. "I think back to all of those women I had relationships with and none of them are like Amelia. None of them would have done what she did for me. She has surprised me."

"Yeah, she's good at doing that," Will smiled.

"Yet I am respectful," Godric responded. "Her heart lies with you and I would never dream of trying to change that. Besides, I cannot be certain if what I feel for Amelia is true or simply…well…"

"You don't know if you simply feel this way because she is different, not because you care for her?"

"Hmm," Godric hummed.

"And what if it is both?" Will asked. "What if you feel this way because she is different? Why would that make anything you feel less genuine?"

It took a moment or two before Godric seemed to understand what the man was saying. It took another few seconds before he looked to Will with an arched brow.

"I confess I have not courted in a very long time, but I did not think that you would be acting like this."

"Yeah, no one says courted anymore, it's dated," Will pointed out. "And I'm going to be gone soon. I just want to make sure that your intentions with Amelia are honest. I gathered they were, but you're either a very good liar or you're falling for her hard."

"You do know that she will mourn for you?" Godric said. "She adores you more than you seem to realise. I will be there for her when she needs me and that is all that I can do."

"Good enough for me," Will shrugged. "Just keep that bastard of her father away from her."

"I would be pleased to," Godric nodded then and Will could only smile at that, knowing that the older vampire must think about Martin Jones the same way that Will did.

It was another few moments before they heard footsteps race down the steps and both vampires stood up, Will putting his drink down on the coffee table. Amelia entered the room, gasping for breath as she looked between the two vampires.

"He evacuated the entire lab during the day," Amelia said in a breathless tone. "He was prepared for this happening. I don't know where they have gone, but there was some kind of controlled explosion that destroyed everything. She said he…he kept the AVL happy."

"Bastard," Will grunted out.

"But that's not all," Amelia said. "He's…apparently he's prepared to go to the press and claim that Godric has kidnapped me. He knows who you are and he knows you were there that night," Amelia said and looked to Godric. "He's done his digging and found out that we've been together. He's going to claim that you have glamoured me into going with you."

"That is preposterous," Godric said with a firm shake of his head and Amelia snorted.

"I know," she told him. "But he is doing everything that he can to claim that is true and, let's think about it, why wouldn't he get away with it? There is no evidence as to why I would have ran from him, is there? He's destroyed it all. It's like Nan Flanagan said…it is my word against his and I don't know what else to do."

"Deny it," Will urged from her as Godric's cell began to ring.

Looking down to the caller, he saw it was Nan. He excused himself from the room and Amelia moved over to Will, allowing him to wrap her into his arms as she closed her eyes and inhaled a sharp breath, unsure of what she should be doing as she felt him kiss her on the top of her head.

"Will we ever be rid of him?"

"One day, darling. One day."


	9. Chapter 9

Amelia felt as though she was being scolded like a child. Once again, she found herself in the company of Nan Flanagan. She was sat on the sofa with Will to one side of her and Godric to the other. It had taken Will all of his effort to wake up and move down the steps, his body tired and his breathing coming out in short pants. Amelia had clung onto him, an arm wrapped around his waist.

"Do you have any idea how fucked up all of this is?" Nan demanded as she remained seated in the armchair. "I have Senator Jones's office demanding for her to be returned to her parents. He's gone on TV during the day and said how her mind has been poisoned against her parents."

"That's bullshit," Amelia snarled. "He did nothing but push me away himself. Godric didn't kidnap me or glamour me."

"No shit," Nan snapped, her voice harsh and high as Will kept his hands in Amelia's. "The problem is that we have nothing to go on. There is no evidence that he is involved in wanting to wipe out vampire kind. There is only your boyfriend over there and it is his word against a Senators."

"Why would people not believe him?" Amelia demanded, shrugging her shoulders.

"Because where is the evidence? Do you not get it? The AVL need hard and solid evidence if they're going to go after one of the most powerful men in Texas," Nan snapped. "So your boyfriend is out of the picture. Besides, by the looks of him he is on death's door. So we fight fire with fire. We bring that bastard down with our version of the truth. We make people fall in love with you and we make them see that your father is nothing but an abusing and egotistical bastard."

"How do we do that?" Godric enquired, leaning forwards and clasping his hands together, the muscles in his forearm flexing slightly as Nan sat up straight, her arms folding over her chest as she looked between the three of them.

"You know you're causing a massive PR disaster for me, Godric?" Nan snapped. "Well, you're going to be repaying your debt to me this evening when you go to Hotel Carmilla and you do a TV interview. You deny everything that has ever happened."

"As you wish," Godric spoke.

"But it's not as simple as that," Nan said. "You and your little pet are going to do it together. You're going to sit there and claim how she was not glamoured but she fell in love with you. That should hopefully make Jones go away. Besides, people love a love story more than anything. You sell them true love and they'll take your side. It's easier to sell than the truth and that's what we want right now."

"No," Godric said with a firm shake of his head.

"I am not going on TV and lying," Amelia responded and Nan let out an exasperated sigh. "If you want me to go on TV then I am going to tell the truth. I'm not lying. I want my father to pay and he deserves everything he gets. People deserve to know the truth."

"Do you have any idea how well loved your _daddy_ is?" Nan hissed. "Now listen to me, you spoiled little brat-"

"-Do not," Will interrupted, his voice harsh, "talk to her like that."

Nan rolled her eyes then. "So you've got two vampires fighting over you?" she questioned. "Christ, you must be a good lay."

Will would have moved from his chair then, but he remained seated due to exhaustion. Godric, on the other hand, moved from his seat, looking down at Nan with a glare Amelia had never seen before. She couldn't describe it, but it was like the room had turned cold. It was as though it was all they could focus on.

"I know your position within the AVL, Ms Flanagan, and I know that you rank higher than I do," Godric spoke. "But this is my nest and I would appreciate it if you addressed Amelia with manners."

Will nodded his head in agreement then as Nan seemed to consider Godric's words. The vampire went back to sitting down next to Amelia as she looked to him, yet he avoided her gaze. She wondered just what the hell was going on as her hands increased their grip on Will.

"Fine," Nan snapped. "But this is happening. The two of you are going to do this interview. You're going to pretend to be in love and then this goes away. Do you think Senator Jones would bring anything else up? He wouldn't dare risk his reputation by trying to smear vampires again."

"I can't," Amelia said. "This is wrong. It is unfair."

"But it is necessary," Nan responded. "Besides, life is unfair and nasty. Get used to it. Now, go and change, both of you, I have Martha Appleton conducting the interview tonight. She should be nice on both of you."

"I'm not doing it," Amelia responded.

"Amelia, sweetie," Will spoke and she turned to look to him as he nodded. "If this stops him from coming after you then it is worth it. Look, we know the truth, alright? We all know the truth and that is all that matters."

"But it's wrong," Amelia said as he moved to stroke her cheek.

"I don't care, darling," he tried to soothe her. "The AVL aren't going to take our side on this. This is the only way."

"But-"

"-Stop it," Will interrupted. "Amelia, the Sheriff will look after you and by the end of the night people will see that your father is lying. They will see that you love a vampire and don't want to be with him or your fiancé. That is all that matters. Do you hear me? Besides, this story...in the long run...it might be better than the truth."

"Great," Nan said, clasping her thighs and standing up before Amelia could even reply to Will. "Now that is cleared up, go and change. I'll be waiting in the car outside."

"I will drive," Godric responded. "We will be at the Hotel in the next hour."

….

Godric could sense Amelia's uneasiness. He could sense her worry and her fear. She had kissed Will goodbye at the front door after he had told her he would watch her on TV. She had changed into one of Isabel's dress. It was a plum colour with a conservative v-neck. The material clung to her body and came down to her calves which were emphasised by a pair of high heels. The sleeves came down to her elbows and Godric couldn't deny that she looked attractive.

"Everything will be alright," Godric promised her in a soft voice.

"How will it be?" she wondered from him in a gentle voice. "I'm sorry, Godric. I'm sorry for all of this."

"I decided to go and save Will," Godric spoke. "I decided to help you and if this is the consequence then so be it. If we have to lie on TV for half an hour for you to have Will back then it is worth it."

"But we shouldn't have to lie," Amelia said to him. "It's not right. Why did the AVL not take Will's word on all of this? Even if people began doubting my father then it would be worth it."

"Evidence…a need to maintain good relationships with humans…if they discovered what your father was doing then there may be all out war between humans and vampires. They need to contain situations quickly. No doubt they will be keeping an eye on him now and searching for evidence."

"Second time lucky, huh?" she asked him, knowing that wasn't how the phrase went.

"Hopefully," Godric spoke. "The main thing is we convince people that your father is lying and we keep him away from you."

"Yeah," Amelia said with a nod of her head as she did her best to remain calm.

The car pulled up outside Hotel Carmilla and Amelia looked up. It was grand, she could not deny that. There was a valet service alongside a camera crew stood outside. Godric groaned inwardly as he pulled the car up and Nan indicated that they were already being filmed. Turning his gaze to Amelia, he saw her looking at the cameras before he moved his hand to her cheek, turning her gaze back to him.

"Listen to me," he whispered gently, "just think about what will happen after all of this. Your father will have no claim to bringing you back. He will have no hold over you."

Amelia nodded then as Godric managed to smile for her. He tugged at the button to the smart dark blue shirt he wore, letting the collar fall open before he dropped his hand from her cheek.

"Wait here."

Godric climbed from the car and moved to the passenger door. He pulled it open and held his hand out as someone took his car key. Amelia looked onto his hand as he kept his fingers stretched. She took a deep breath and then let her hand take hold of his. He helped her from the car, closing the door behind her as he kept her hand inside of his. Amelia took one brief look to him, wondering if he knew that he was stroking his thumb over her knuckles.

"The camera crew just want a couple of shots of you two walking into the hotel for the opening promo," Nan spoke, not bothering to look at them as she remained too invested in the cell in her fingertips. "Just head into the lobby. A member of staff will take you to the conference room and get you wired up. I have a call to make."

Amelia clung tightly to Godric's hand, walking at the same height as him in her heels. He acted as polite as always, allowing her to go through doors first and keeping his hand holding onto hers. They entered the lobby and Amelia looked around, shiny marble floors and crisp white washed walls decorated with art filling her eyes. The chandeliers were grand and there was a large concierge desk in the corner.

"Are you okay?" Godric wondered from her.

"I'm fine," she promised him.

"You must be Godric and Amelia," a woman dressed in a skirt suit spoke, a clipboard in her hands. "Nice to meet you. I'm Jenny and I'm the producer. We have make up and hair set up in the conference room and we'll mic you up. Follow me."

Both of them had no other option but to follow Jenny down the corridor and into the conference room. Amelia almost froze at the hustle and bustle. In one corner was two chairs set up and two women stood by them. There was a sofa in the middle of the room and a plush armchair next to it. Cameras sat around them, pointing towards the seats as men and women in headphones talked and drank coffee.

Amelia felt herself being tugged from Godric and forced to sit in a chair. A woman pulled at her hair, brushing it while Godric refused to sit down. He let one of the women hook a microphone to his shirt while Amelia felt a foundation brush on her skin.

"I don't do makeup," Amelia said. "Not really."

"Honey, you've got bags under your eyes," the woman said. "And you've got frown lines."

"I'm fine," Amelia reiterated, swatting her hands away. She didn't want someone to be preening over her at that moment in time. She wanted to be left alone more than anything. Shaking her head, she let out a deep breath and managed a smile. "Sorry, you're right, I'm just tired."

But Amelia was moving from the chair and the woman hooked a microphone into the top of her dress as cries of five minutes rang out through the room. Amelia looked to Godric as Jenny returned and ushered them to sit on the sofa. Godric kept a respectable distance from Amelia, but Nan entered the room and glowered to him.

Moving closer to her, Godric felt his thigh brush against hers as a woman with short blonde hair moved into vision and in front of the cameras. She wore a smart, dark red dress, her curls neatly coiffed down to her shoulders while her eyes glimmered. She held cards in her fingertips as she looked to the two of them.

"Martha Appleton," the woman introduced herself, shaking hands with Godric and Amelia. "Pleasure to meet you both. Now, this should be relatively simple. I just want the story of how you met and why you love each other. Plus, I want to know why your father thinks you have been glamoured and why you have been having an affair behind your fiancés back."

Amelia felt the urge to stand and run, but she couldn't. She couldn't even move. She was frozen to the spot with thanks to Godric's hand coming to her thigh, keeping her still. She looked to him and he nodded, moving a hand to tuck her hair behind her ear as he tried to keep her calm and Martha went back to her preparations for the interview.

"It's okay," he whispered to her and she did her best to agree with him, but she was struggling. All she could think of was Will watching this at the nest. He would be seeing her lying. He would be seeing her draped over someone else.

"Right, we're on in ten," someone called out and Amelia looked to the cameras, knowing what would happen.

The countdown began and she felt herself reach for Godric's hand, taking it into her fingertips as he looked to her and she continued to keep her gaze on Martha. Godric's lips remained in a straight line before he gave her fingers a squeeze and let his own gaze move onto Martha.

"Good evening," Martha spoke to the camera. "Welcome to the Daily Digest with Martha Appleton. It comes with great pleasure to say that I have two very special guests on tonight. Now, you might have heard the claims from Senator Jones of Dallas today. Claims that his daughter had been kidnapped and glamoured by the Sheriff of Area Nine. However, in an exclusive interview, Sheriff Godric and Amelia Jones will tell us how Senator Jones's claims are nothing but lies."

Martha turned to smile to the pair of them. "Godric, Amelia, welcome."

"Thank you for having us," Godric was the one to speak as he felt Amelia's nerves in her fingers as they shook slowly. He kept hold of them, hoping to calm her somehow.

"Now, you both know the claims that have been circulating," Martha said. "What do you have to say of them?"

"Well," Godric cleared his throat. "They are completely fabricated. I would never kidnap or hold Amelia against her will. I have not glamoured her, nor have I done anything to hurt her. All that I have done is care for her."

"Amelia?"

Amelia looked to the woman and gulped, nodding her head as she realised she had to be much more convincing. She felt Godric shift her hand into his other hand, freeing his arm to move behind her back and press his fingers to the small of her back.

"Yes," Amelia said with a nod of her head. "Godric has not glamoured me. He has done nothing but be kind to me and I…I love him for that. He has done nothing to harm me and the claims that my dad…father…is making are nothing but false and made up."

"But why we would he do that?"

"I do not know," Amelia said. "Perhaps he thinks that it is the truth? My father is one of the most notorious anti-vampire Senators. I suspect the thought of his daughter falling in love with a vampire seems incomprehensible to him. But you cannot chose who you love, can you?"

"I suspect not," Martha said with a nod of her head. "However, you are engaged, are you not?"

"Was," Amelia said, thinking of the engagement ring she had tossed to the side in the nest. "I was engaged to his campaign manager, but I did not love him."

"Then why did you agree to marry him?"

Amelia went silent then, thinking. If she told her about her father's threats then that would lead her to talking about Will. Will didn't deserve any media attention. He was sick. He was dying. No. Amelia would have her vengeance on her father and Daniel, but she would not drag Will into this with his final days.

"I do not know," Amelia decided to speak. "My father had always thought that we would make a good match. I suppose I wondered if that was true. I don't know. I was foolish…but my fiancé…he just was not the man for me."

"Do you regret cheating behind his back?"

"I regret even being engaged to him," Amelia said. "I felt trapped at the time. I felt as though my father wanted me to marry him and I felt pressured. My father...he would often hurt me...not very often and not always physically, but emotionally. There were times when I felt pressured to do what he wanted and it hurt me. He would lash out if I went against him."

"Lash out, how?"

"Hit me," Amelia said, finally feeling like this could be the end of her father. She only hoped so. "He would hit me if I said something that enraged him and towards the end I always did that. I kept sneaking out of the house because I felt as though it was my only release...my only time to be away from him."

"And then you met Godric?"

"And then I met Godric," Amelia echoed back.

"And how did you meet?"

Godric did chuckle then and Amelia looked to him as he glanced to Martha. "I was wandering the streets one night and I met Amelia. She had snuck out of her house and was going to a nightclub. She bumped into me, quite literally, and I told her that I recognised her," Godric said. "When I began speaking to her I didn't see the woman I thought that I might. She didn't hate vampires. She was tolerant. She understood us and she understood me. She showed me things I had never seen before."

"Really?" Martha enquired and Amelia continued to watch Godric, wondering just how much of what he was saying was a lie.

"Oh yes," Godric nodded. "I have been alive for many years. I have witnessed a lot of things. I closed myself off. I shut myself off from people. But Amelia showed me the joys in the simple things….cinema trips…theme parks…hikes…and as dull as that might sound, it was anything but dull with her. We talked and we got to know each other and I saw the young woman in front of you today."

"And who is she?" Martha pushed. "Describe her, Godric. Describe what she means to you."

Godric took a deep breath as Amelia continued to stare at him.

"She is intelligent, beautiful and nothing but kind," Godric spoke in a soft tone. "She puts everyone else before herself and she never fails to entertain me. Her laugh is contagious and seeing her smile makes me long for her never to be sad."

He finished off by looking down to her, his eyes searching hers as Amelia praised him for such a good show in her mind. He was almost too convincing.

"She's different to any human or vampire I've ever met," Godric said.

"Aww," Martha cooed. "Isn't that sweet? And you, Amelia? What attracted you to Godric?"

Amelia doubted she could do as well as Godric had done. She kept her gaze on Godric, finding that he was the only thing keeping her calm as people watched her on TV. She took a couple of seconds before she gathered her thoughts and spoke.

"He was mysterious to begin with," Amelia said in a small voice. "He seemed distant and closed off. I would talk to him and not know what he was thinking, but then he opened himself up to me. We would talk for hours about everything and nothing. He was always kind and he was always gentlemanly towards me. I've never had that before. He says that I put people before me, but he's wrong. He has always put me before everything and looked out for me. He's different to anyone I have ever met."

Godric almost felt the need to shift, his mind wondering exactly what he was thinking. He couldn't gather his own thoughts. He couldn't comprehend what he was thinking. It took a moment before Martha spoke again and Amelia dragged her gaze from Godric and forced a smile onto her face.

"Well, we've nearly reached the end, but it seems clear that the two of you are madly in love," Martha said. "No doubt you'll be able to show it to our viewers before we go. Everyone loves a good love story."

Amelia wondered what she was implying, but it soon became apparent as she saw Nan over Martha's shoulder glaring at her, seemingly having lost interest in the screen of her cell. It took a few seconds before Amelia felt Godric move a hand to her cheek, turning her gaze to his. Before she knew what was happening, he leaned forwards and she closed her eyes, feeling his lips close over hers.

Amelia froze as the kiss remained chaste and Godric kept a hand on her cheek, stroking it softly before they heard cut echo through the room. Pulling back, Godric looked to Amelia as her eyes flew open wide. Two women moved to take their microphones from them.

"Impressive," Nan spoke in a drawl as she stood in front of the beige sofa they were sat on. "You could have convinced me you were in love."

"I need to return Amelia back to the nest," Godric spoke, his hand moving from her cheek as he stood up and Amelia wrapped her arms around her waist as she remained seated on the sofa. "I trust we passed your test?"

"With flying colours," Nan drawled sarcastically.

Godric shot her a dark look as she turned her back to him. Looking down to Amelia, he offered her his hand, but she stood up and moved off without taking hold of his fingers. Godric walked by her side and out to the lobby, both of them staying silent as Godric waited for his car to be brought round. He held the door open for Amelia and she climbed in. Godric set off and Amelia shook her head.

"Will would have been watching," she whispered in a low voice. "He would have seen all of that."

"It was all an act," Godric said, not entirely certain if he was lying to her.

"Not all of it," Amelia said, looking to him. "I meant what I said about you. I know what you said about me was exaggerated, but that's fine. We were pretending to be in love…but the kiss…"

Godric's lips quirked as he tried to lighten the mood. "I know it has been a while, but was I that bad?"

She shot him a look and her lips managed to tug upwards for a moment. "No," she admitted. "But I should never have done that. I should never have kissed you. It was wrong…Will…he had to see that."

"No," Godric spoke in a soft voice. "He will understand, Amelia. He will know why."

"God, I hope so."

They lapsed back into silence then, Godric driving steadily down the streets until he pulled back up to the nest. He moved with speed, pulling the door to her side of the car open and allowing her out. He moved ahead of her, opening the door to reveal Stan and Isabel in the kitchen, talking in hushed tones.

"Where is Will?" Godric enquired from them.

"Upstairs," Stan said. "He left just after the interview finished. He said he was tired."

"I'll go to him," Amelia said, moving up the staircase and to the guest bedroom. It wasn't that difficult to find Will. He was laid in bed, dressed in pyjamas and holding a copy of Pride and Prejudice in his fingertips. Amelia closed the door gently behind her, kicking off her heels as she let a small smile form on her face.

"You're finally reading it, huh?" she asked from him.

He smirked and put it back down. "Yeah," he said. "Got to admit though, it's not entirely my thing, but you did keep going on about it for months."

Amelia chuckled and went to lay down on the bed besides him, a hand going to his chest as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "That's what you get for dating an English Lit student. I come with a great deal of book recommendations."

"Such a swot," he teased her and she nudged him with her elbow as she heard him chuckle. "So…the interview, huh?"

"It was excruciating," Amelia moaned and Will arched a brow, keeping his gaze on the ceiling above him. "I've never done anything like it before and I never want to again…knowing that all those people are watching."

"Well you both did a very convincing job," Will said to her.

She groaned lowly and propped herself up on her elbow, looking down to him. "We're not going to do this again, are we?" she demanded and he shrugged.

"What?"

"You thinking that there is something going on when there is nothing," she commented. "It's going to get boring, Will. I said some nice things about Godric, but that doesn't mean I've fallen in love with him."

"Did you see the way he was talking about you?" Will responded. "Amelia, I don't know what you've done to him, but that guy…vampire…Sheriff…he's clearly falling head over heels. He wasn't acting when he said what he said."

"You're absurd," she scoffed.

"And insanely jealous," he added on for her. "Because I know that I don't have much longer left and he…he's a good guy, I'm not denying that, but he looks at you like I used to look at you and I want that back, Amelia. I want that back because I want you to move on, but I just wish that it could be with me."

Amelia had wondered when Will would finally crack. He had been nothing but strong during the entire debacle and she wondered how he was coping. It was only now when she saw he wasn't. Amelia moved quickly then, knowing she had to do something. Reacting with haste, she moved until she was straddling him, her knees either side of him as she perched in his lap and leant forwards, kissing him with as much vigour as she could muster and as he could handle.

It was another second before she felt him respond, but his hands managed to move into her hair, holding her to him as she let her mouth move over his. Pulling back after a moment, she looked him in the eye, her hand stroking his cheek.

"It's okay," Amelia whispered in a soft voice. "I've got you, Will."

"It's not okay," Will gulped. "None of it is okay, Amelia. I had to sit here and watch you kiss another vampire on TV…a vampire who…maybe one day will love you like I love you…and you might love him back…and that…it's killing me inside, Amelia. I'm trying to be strong. I'm trying to be strong for you, but I don't know how much more I can take because I hate him for being alive. I hate knowing that he might one day be the one who gives you what I can't give you."

"Will," she tried to soothe him. "There is nothing going on between me and Godric."

"Maybe not today…maybe not ever…but there will be someone in the future," Will responded. "There will be someone who you fall for and I would never begrudge you that, but right now…sat here…it makes me sick to think about it. It makes me jealous and scared."

"Darling," Amelia said, feeling her own tears begin to fall as she collapsed against him, holding him to her as her hands found his shoulders and his arms clamped around her waist. He held her to him, inhaling her familiar scent as he felt blood fall down his eyes, unable to stop himself from shedding tears.

Amelia tried to soothe him, but she didn't know what she could do. She suspected she could only hold him for as long as he needed her.

...

A/N: Things are going to get a bit more tense in the coming chapters. Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for reading and for those who have reviewed. I hope you will let me know what you think!


	10. Chapter 10

Amelia had to admit that she was getting accustomed to sleeping during the day and staying awake during the night. It had taken her a while to get used to it, but she soon found her sleeping pattern altered. Of course, she hadn't really been sleeping too well. Most of her days were spent watching Will, making certain that he was still breathing. Fear took hold of her often when she watched him, longing for him to be okay.

It was the evening after the interview when Amelia resurfaced. Will had been coughing loudly and she had seen his eyes turn red. His veins grew more prominent and Amelia had sat by his side, holding onto him as she urged him just to rest and she would go and see if Godric would take more of her blood for her to give to him.

She remained in the pyjamas she wore, the material clinging to her body as she slipped on a pair of fluffy socks that Will had been wearing. Walking down the steps, she pushed her hair behind her ears and tied it into a messy ponytail. She soon found Godric at the dining table, newspapers spread out in front of him. Amelia's brows furrowed together as she walked up and behind him, looking over his shoulder.

"What you looking at?" she wondered from him.

"Your father appears to be…well…done for," Godric said to her and she pulled a chair out and sat down next to him, leaning in to look at the newspapers, her mouth gaping as Godric's lips quirked at what he had read. "Apparently the public do not take kindly to fathers who hit their daughters and pressure them into marriage. He is denying it, of course, but I think we managed to sell them a good enough story last night that they bought it."

"So…he's done for?" Amelia wondered from Godric.

"Looks like it," Godric nodded. "If you wanted vengeance, Amelia, then you have got it. His political career will hardly recover from this. People are doubting him more than ever and taking your side. He either resigns or he is forced out at the next election."

"I would feel happy about that if…well…the circumstances were different," Amelia said and Godric turned to look to her as she let her eyes shift from the newspaper and onto him. He let his eyes search her face before he nodded.

"I know," he said to her.

"Anyway," Amelia said, changing the topic. "I need to give Will more of my blood. He's not doing so well up there."

"Of course," Godric nodded. "I will return in a moment."

He used his vampire speed to gather the equipment and went through the motions of attaching the blood bag to the tubes and needle. He took Amelia's arm, resting it on the dining table as he wiped her arm down, rolling her sleeves up and past her elbow. He kept one hand on her elbow while the other moved the needle into her skin. He heard her inhale a sharp breath and wince.

"Sorry," he spoke in a soft voice.

"It's fine," Amelia said. "I'm getting used to it."

Godric finished securing the needle in place and left the bag on the dining table as Amelia sat to the side, her legs dangling off the chair. Godric found himself also perching to the side, his knees brushing against hers as she leaned forwards slightly and Godric did the same.

"I've never asked you about your tattoo," Amelia said.

"Tattoos," he corrected to her and she watched him roll the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbow and Amelia's eyes widened as she looked to them. "Most of them are hidden by my shirts, but I have a few tattoos. Most of them are very old. The one around my neck is from Anglo-Saxon times. I was a warrior back then and that tattoo symbolises it."

He moved his right arm to the front of her sight. "This is written in a runic language and this one on the left is the symbol for water."

"And that's all?"

"No," Godric smiled. "I have a sea serpent on my back. They were terribly popular in Norse culture and I like to think that it represents my rebirth…especially so considering the brand on my shoulder."

"Brand?"

Godric nodded. "I was a slave in Roman times," Godric said to her in a small voice as he moved and Amelia watched him turn his back to her and unbutton his shirt. He shrugged it down his shoulders and Amelia's eyes widened as she saw the red brand, the skin around it puckered up and scarred. "I…I tried to escape a couple of times as a young boy…I didn't want to be a slave. I wanted my freedom. My master ended up branding me, making sure that everyone knew who I belonged to."

"That's horrible," Amelia said and Godric could truly hear the pain in her voice.

Closing his eyes, he wondered how that made him feel as he buttoned his shirt back up and turned back around to look at her. She genuinely looked pained for him. Other women who had seen it had simply said how awful it looked, but Amelia was behaving differently again. As per usual, she was proving herself to be nothing like anyone else he had known.

"I do not think about it often," Godric said.

"But you were a child," Amelia whispered. "You were hurt as a child."

"In more ways than a child should be hurt," Godric said and Amelia's brows knitted together and Godric shook his head. "But that is a conversation for another time, Amelia."

"I'm sorry," Amelia said. "I didn't mean to pry."

His spirits seemed to lift then and he shook his head. "You are not prying, Amelia, but we have more important things to focus on. My human life is not one of those things."

"Perhaps not, but I am interested," Amelia said to him. "I mean, I want to know, but only if you want to tell me. I don't mean to be nosy or anything."

Again, Godric did his best to control himself as he nodded his head. How was she doing this to him? How was she constantly surprising him and causing him nothing but intrigue in her? He said nothing, merely offered her a smile as he saw her begin to clench her hand together in an attempt to make the blood flow quicker.

"That should do it," Godric said after five more minutes and he pulled the needle out and put a plaster over the blood. She watched him move into the kitchen and pour the blood into a glass. Moving to her feet, she swayed slightly and before she knew it, an arm was around her waist, holding her steady.

"Are you alright?" Godric enquired from her as he saw her pale face and she nodded.

"I'm fine," she promised him. "Just…maybe I should eat something and drink something. I've been neglecting food for a while."

"What would you like?" Godric wondered, cautiously taking his arm from her waist as he placed his hand into the small of her back and led her into the kitchen. She looked up to him as he opened the fridge and continued speaking. "I could make you an omelette? Or perhaps some pasta in a tomato sauce?"

Amelia looked entertained as she picked up the glass of blood and Godric looked at her over his shoulder. "You know how to cook? But vampires don't eat?"

"I've been alive for a long time, Amelia," he reminded her. "I have learned how to cook for humans when I have needed to. Believe me, I can fix you something up."

"You don't need to," Amelia said. "I'll go and give Will the blood and then come and cook."

"I am fine," Godric said. "So what will it be?"

"Well…an omelette…if possible?"

"Coming right up," Godric said.

"Thank you," Amelia said and she took hold of her glass and began moving up the staircase and back to the guest room. Will was still laid down, his hands on his stomach and his eyes looking to the ceiling.

Closing the door behind her, Amelia yawned once and padded over to the bed. She placed the glass down on the bedside table and helped Will to sit up, adjusting the pillows behind him as she managed a small smile for him and leaned in to peck him on the lips softly. It took a moment before he responded, but he finally managed to kiss her back.

"I've brought you some blood," Amelia said and she handed him the glass as he coughed into his fist. "Do you need more? I'm just going to eat breakfast…well…dinner…but I can give you more after I have done that."

"No," Will said with a shake of his head. "You need to keep your own strength up, Amelia."

"So do you," Amelia said. "Unless you want a donor?"

"No," Will said and sipped on the drink, a sigh escaping him as a content feeling passed him by. "It's just delaying the inevitable, Amelia. There's no point in doing it too much…"

"There is always a point in keeping you alive," Amelia responded harshly and Will shook his head.

"But I am not living, darling," he said to her. "This is not me living. I am existing…I am barely existing…I…we both know my days are numbered. Your blood is hardly doing anything for me anymore. It is just postponing my death. I feel crap, Amelia. I feel like shit."

Amelia could only bow her head, knowing that he was speaking the truth, no matter how difficult it was for her to listen to him. It took her a few seconds before she felt her vision blur as a tear rolled down her cheek. Will placed his drink down and moved his hand to her chin, lifting her gaze up until her eyes met his. He managed a sad smile as he nodded once.

"It's okay," he told her. "Sweetheart, it's okay."

"No," Amelia said with a shake of her head. "Not yet…just not yet, Will."

"Today…tomorrow…next month…" Will said. "Neither of us will ever be ready, Amelia. Neither of us will ever want to accept it, but it is just delaying the inevitable. Everything is just delaying the inevitable."

"No," Amelia said firmly. "Will, we will keep delaying it. I've just gotten you back…please…"

"Darling, listen to me," Will said in a soft voice, his hand moving to stroke her cheek gently. "I'm in pain. I'm in constant pain. It's getting worse and I want to be the one to stop the pain. I want to decide when I go and not have it happen suddenly. Your father took control of my life for so long, but I want to take control back."

"Will, stop it," Amelia begged him. "Please, darling. Please stop."

"Amelia, please, I need you to understand," Will begged from her.

"I can't," Amelia said with a shake of her head. "Will, I can't let you do this. Please, just don't do this. Please…"

"Baby," Will said in a soft voice. "I have to. I've thought long and hard about it. You don't know how long I have thought about it, but I need to do it. I just don't want this pain anymore."

Will expected her to continue arguing, but he suspected she couldn't form words. Instead all that she could do was wrap her arms around him and hold onto him tightly. Will held her back, closing his eyes forcefully as blood fell from his eyes and he knew that, despite what he had told her, he would never be ready to leave Amelia. He didn't want this. God, he wanted to keep living. He wanted to keep going. But he couldn't.

"It's alright," Will said in a soft voice. "Everything is alright. I've got you, Amelia. I love you."

…

Godric had asked Isabel and Stan to leave the following night. Amelia had come down for her food, but she had spent most of her time sobbing and telling Godric what Will wanted to do. Godric had held her tightly, doing all that he could do to try and soothe her. but he knew it was no use. He had watched her trudge back upstairs to Will and spend one final day with him. He could only imagine what the two of them were going through. It was just before he was going to rest when his cell began to ring.

Answering the call, he couldn't stop himself from smirking. "My child," he spoke.

"Godric, what the fuck is going on? I've been trying to call you for the past night."

"I apologise, my child, I have been busy."

"Yeah, going on live TV with some human you claim to be madly in love with," his progeny snorted down the phone and Godric took a seat in his chair, closing his eyes for a few brief moments. "What's going on, Godric? I know you're not in love with her, but the act was very convincing."

"It is a long story, my child," Godric responded. "Trust me, Eric, even I am beginning to question what it is I am doing. I…I have not felt as I do in a very long time."

"And it is because of her?"

"I think so, Eric," Godric spoke. "I met her while I was patrolling one evening-"

"-I heard all this on the TV," Eric interrupted. "But I want the true story. I want to know what is really going on."

"So be it," Godric nodded. "Amelia Jones is in love with a vampire, but it is not me. She is in love with a vampire named Will. She dated him before her father discovered about the pair of them. He threatened to kill Will if she did not return home and marry his campaign manager. Anyway, it turns out that her father had kidnapped Will and was keeping him hostage. He injected him with Hep V and destroyed all the evidence. The AVL refused to investigate without any evidence, but I saved him."

"You saved him?" Eric responded. "So why the interview?"

"Her father realised that she was with me and concocted a story about her being kidnapped by me and glamoured," Godric said. "Nan Flanagan knew that he was lying and she decided to spin her own lie. I said that I would be willing."

"But why not just let her sit on TV with her boyfriend and tell the truth?"

"There is no evidence that her father injected Will and…I think that Amelia wanted to spare him. She wanted to spare him from a media circus. He doesn't have long left and I think that was the main reason she agreed to go along with it."

"Fine," Eric said, "but that doesn't explain why you went along with it."

Godric went silent then, uncertain of what he should say. It took a few seconds before he spoke, his voice low and soft.

"Because I wanted to help."

"A human?"

"Humans are not so different to us, Eric," Godric responded.

"And this human?"

"Amelia has been kind to me, Eric. I have formed a friendship with her."

Eric scoffed. "It sure looked like more than friendship from where I was sitting along with the entirety of Texas."

"She loves another, my child," Godric said. "And she is a human. What I said on TV…it was the truth…but not in a romantic way. I cannot allow myself to feel that way."

"Hmm," Eric said, not entirely convinced at what he was hearing from his maker. "Do you need for me to come to Dallas?"

"No, my child, I can handle this."

"Call me if you need me," Eric said.

"Of course."

The two hung up and Godric prepared to go and rest. He turned out the light in the living area and moved to the kitchen before he heard footsteps in the door. He let his eyes move over to the door, seeing Will stood there in his silk pyjamas. He was gaunt and pale, the veins now protruding from his body and looking painful. He nodded to Godric.

"Mind if we talk?"

"Should you not be resting?" Godric enquired.

"Soon," he responded with a nod of his head. "I just need to talk with you first."

"Yes," Godric nodded and perched at the breakfast bar as Will managed to sit down next to him, lacing his hands together and resting them on the worktop, clearly ready to discuss whatever was troubling him. "How can I help you?"

"I'm…you know that I'm not getting better. You know that."

Godric said nothing.

"Amelia knows it too, but she doesn't want to accept it. Hell, I don't even want to accept it," Will scoffed. "But I know it is true. I don't want to wait for it to happen. I don't want Martin Jones to have control over when I die because he injected me. I want to decide for myself. You should know all about that."

"I have a recollection," Godric nodded his head.

"Which is why I want to…to meet the sun sooner rather than later. All I feel is pain. Everything aches…everything hurts…and I need it to end," he admitted in a sharp breath. "I need to end it for my sake and for Amelia's sake. Every time I am with her I see what this is doing to her. It is slowly killing her just like it is slowly killing me…she…the more I hold her…the more I am with her…the more time I want, but I know that isn't an option. All we do is cry together…just be upset…and she deserves more than that."

"Do you think she will not sob when you have gone?"

"Oh, I know she will," Will nodded his head. "But she will truly be allowed to mourn then. She will be allowed to move on sooner, just as I will. It's fair on both of us."

"Does she know about this?" Godric wondered.

"She knows, but she continues to try and persuade me otherwise," Will said. "I guess I just need you to promise me one more time that you will look out for her? That you will make sure her father doesn't hurt her again? That he doesn't get her back? You're the only one I can trust, even if you are falling for my girl."

Godric didn't even respond to his little taunt. Instead he nodded his head. "I promise," he said to him. "Where is she?"

"Sleeping," Will said. "She exhausted herself and is sleeping. After the interview and everything…she's just tired."

"I can imagine," Godric said with a nod.

"You know…" Will trailed off. "Seeing someone kissing your girlfriend on TV isn't exactly the nicest thing, but it did the job. You two were convincing and it seemed real."

"Believe me, she felt guilt," Godric said.

"I can imagine. I know Amelia," he said. "But I know why she went along with it. She wanted to keep me out of the limelight and it…in the long run…it's more likely to be believable than anything else, especially if you take care of her."

"It…well…I will take care of her for as long as she needs me," Godric said.

"That's all I wanted to know," Will said, patting the worktop and then slipping down from the stool and walking away. Turning his head over his shoulder, Will looked back to Godric. "You're a good guy, Sheriff. I owe so much to you."

"You owe me nothing."

"No," Will shook his head. "You gave me a final chance to be with Amelia. I owe you everything for that."

Godric watched as Will trudged back up the steps and he lowered his gaze, wondering just what was going to happen in the future.

...

A/N: So the next chapter sees a change of pace. I hope you're enjoying the story and thanks for reading and to those who are reviewing. It means a lot! Hope you'll let me know what you think!


	11. Chapter 11

Amelia had spent the day hardly sleeping. She had drifted in and out of sleep, but she never once felt peaceful. She had found herself looking down to Will as he slept, her hand holding onto his as she watched him. She tried to memorise everything about him. She tried to remember everything about his face, from the way his sharp nose protruded from his boyish face to his high cheekbones. His lips were plump and firm, his forehead covered with his floppy blond hair. Amelia didn't want to forget him. She didn't want to lose him.

She kissed him on the forehead, smoothing his hair from his face before she moved from the bed and grabbed hold of her sweatshirt and jeans she had arrived in. Moving to the bathroom, she started the shower and tossed her clothes onto the floor before stripping out of her pyjamas. She stepped under the water and let it pour over her, closing her eyes and feeling the hard-hitting water. Biting down on her lip, she tried to remain strong and control her emotions, well aware of what Will was planning. She wanted to change his mind. She wanted to be selfish. She wanted to keep him with her.

But she knew it was unfair. Deep down she knew it was unfair on him. He was in pain and she could see that. He had gotten worse, constantly wincing and groaning in pain. Her blood was not really doing anything anymore. It was relieving his pain for an hour or so, but that was it.

Amelia finished showering, using the argan oil shampoo and the shea butter body wash on the side. Amelia had looked to the bottle, recognising the expensive brand and she couldn't deny that it smelt amazing. She grabbed a fluffy white towel and wrapped it around her body, stepping from the large walk in shower and wiping the steam off the mirror above the sink. She looked to her skin, seeing how blotchy and red it was from her constant crying.

She reached for a toothbrush and squirted toothpaste onto it before she heard a sudden yell of pain. She spat into the sink and tossed the toothbrush down, rushing from the bathroom and into the bedroom to see Will writhing around in pain, panting for breath loudly as Amelia shook her head.

"No," she said hastily, clutching the towel underneath her arms as she moved with haste, kneeling on the bed and looking to him, shaking her head as she continued to see him shake, his body struggling to control itself as the effects of Hep V took over. "Will, darling, come on."

"I can't," Will said with a shake of his head. "Amelia…I can't…"

"No," Amelia said firmly. "It's okay, Will, everything is okay."

"No," Will responded, managing to move to sit up as Amelia took hold of his forearms, holding them tightly in her grip as she looked to him. "Amelia, it's time. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Please," Amelia whispered. "Darling, please, I can't do this. I can't imagine life without you. I don't want to be without you, Will. I can't do it. Please…let me just get Godric…I can give you more blood."

Before she could even move, he had grabbed hold of her hand, stopping her from running off as he looked to her. His eyes roamed over her face, looking at her as he tried to take everything about her in. He moved a thumb over her plump lips, his fingers catching her tears as she clung onto his hand and he let his other hand move over her hair, tucking it behind her shoulder.

"No," he said, his voice lower and softer than before. "Is the sun still out?"

"No," Amelia said, her head shaking back and forth as her tears streamed down her face. "No, no, no…please…please…"

"I know," Will said, his own eyes pooling with blood before falling down his cheeks. "But there is no time, Amelia. We are out of time."

Amelia bowed her head, her forehead pressing against his throat and chest as he kept hold of her, his hands moving down her shoulders as he stroked them softly. He didn't know how long he held onto her before he released her and began to move, forcing himself to his feet as Amelia watched him sway. She moved quickly, grabbing hold of the slip she had worn underneath her dress and a soft blue robe that draped to her knees.

"Will," she whispered his name.

He looked to her and nodded his head. "I know," he said in a gentle voice. "I know…"

"But you don't," Amelia said in a gentle voice, her throat clenching and her voice threatening to break as she kept hold of him by the shoulders. "Will, there is so much that I want to tell you…so much that we never got a chance to talk about…we never had time…no one gave us time…"

"I know all that I need to know," he promised her, moving a finger to her chin and tilting her head up until he moved closer to her lips. "I know that you love me and that is enough."

Pressing his lips to hers, she kissed him chastely, but Will was not having that. He deepened the kiss, his arms wrapping around her waist to press her firmly against him. She moved a hand to his hair, letting her fingers tangle into the locks as she felt his kiss soften and he pulled back, kissing her chastely one final time. She closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest, sobbing uncontrollably as Will tried to keep his own tears at bay. But he was struggling. He was finding it impossible. If he did not go now then he would never go. If he did not remove her from his arms then he would never let her go and end this pain.

"Let me go, darling," he urged from her, his voice gentle as Amelia shook her head against him.

"I can't," she whispered. "I can't."

"Sweetheart," he whispered. "I love you. I need you to let me go."

But then he untangled himself from her and she looked to him. He moved to cup her cheeks one final time, bending down to kiss her before he took hold of her hand and began to leave the bedroom. Moving down the steps, he looked into the dining room, seeing that the blinds were firmly closed along the glass wall looking onto the backyard.

He moved towards the glass and Amelia grabbed hold of him one final time as he held her tightly once more. She clasped tightly onto him, refusing to let him go as she struggled to control her breathing, her head aching and her chest pounding. She kept her arms around his waist as he let his chin rest on top of her head. Looking to the back of the room, he noted Godric stood there in the shadows. The two men let their eyes meet and Godric nodded once, his face solemn as he silently gave his word to protect Amelia.

"Look at me," Will urged her after a moment and she looked up to him as he forced himself to smile at her. He did his best not to let his fear show as he drank in her every feature. "Amelia, I need you to promise me that you will move on, okay? I need you to promise me that you will do everything we discussed before all of this happened…you'll go and see Europe…you'll travel…you'll do what you want to do…teach…be happy…move on…find love…find happiness…you need to promise me all of that."

Nodding once, Amelia did her best to remain coherent for his sake, but she was struggling. Will did smile at hearing her say that, sniffing loudly and then letting his fingers stroke her cheek.

"That's all I want," Will said. He moved down, kissing her once again, his lips pressing to hers before whispering into her ear. "I love you."

"I love you too," she responded and Will nodded.

He took hold of her hand and opened the back door along the windowpanes. He stepped outside, the sunlight hitting his skin as Amelia followed him, wincing at the feeling of the sunlight. It took her a few moments before her eyes adjusted and she tugged hold of his hand, forcing him to turn and look back to her.

"Baby, it won't take too long," Will whispered down to her.

"I'm so scared for you," Amelia whispered. "I'm so scared."

"So am I," Will admitted and he moved again, feeling the heat of the sun on his skin as smoke started to move from him. He moved with haste, wrapping her in his arms once again, inhaling her familiar scent as he pressed her face to his neck. "I'm scared, Amelia…but knowing that I got to spend my time with you…knowing that you're going to be oaky now…it makes me feel better."

"I'm so sorry," Amelia began again. "Will, I am so sorry."

He felt the pain from the sun continue to grow and he winced, knowing that he had barely anytime left. He wasn't going to let her last words be an apology to him, though. He didn't want to hear that. He said nothing for a moment and let out a deep and shaking breath.

"Don't apologise," he said in a whisper. "Just…just don't apologise."

"Sorry."

He did smile despite everything at that, shaking his head as she struggled to do as he had asked. He moved down, bending his knees slightly before kissing her and she saw the steam rising from his skin and she moved a hand onto his shoulder, her fingers curling around his neck as she felt his warming skin. He pulled back after a second, moving his hands over his neck and pulling out a gold chain, a silver ring dangling on the end of it. He looked down as it gleamed in the sun and he managed a nod.

"My mom had this ring when she was married to my father in the '40s," Will said in a soft voice. "He died in the war and she never remarried. She…she was devoted to him. She wanted me to give it to someone I loved…someone I would one day want to marry…it took me over fifty years, but I think I found her."

He moved his hands tentatively, draping the chain over her neck as he looked to the ring falling against her bare chest. Placing his hand over it, he looked down to her as she struggled to remain composed. "Promise me you'll look after it, alright?"

She nodded her head. "I promise," she spoke and he moved to hold her tightly again.

"I love you, Amelia," he whispered to her. "Never forget that, okay? Just never forget that I love you. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Will," she mumbled and he kissed her once more, his lips pressing harshly to hers as she clung to his shoulders. But before she could do anything, he was untangling himself from her grip, his hand stroking her cheek one final time.

Turning on his heel, he moved over to the grass, standing in the full sunlight as Amelia held her arm out towards him, her fingers slipping from him as he went. She stayed where she was as she watched the steam continue to rise from his skin and she kept her hand in front of her as she closed her eyes and he turned his head over his shoulder, looking back to her.

"I love you, darling," Will spoke as he looked to her.

She struggled to speak the words back to him, but she managed it, the words strangled and low. "I love you."

And then he was gone. Amelia cried out loud, pain coming through her as she saw his body burst into a blue flame and she sunk down to her knees, her eyes watching as his body slowly burned and he was taken from her. Burying her head into her hands, she remained on the damp grass, unable to move as she cried, the image of his burning body flickering through her mind as she continued to sob loudly, unable to stop herself.

"No…no…no…Will…" she screamed loudly, her voice full of rage. She didn't even try to hide her tears or yells. She couldn't even if she tried.

The sun finally set and Amelia felt a chill come over her body as darkness engulfed her. She was still knelt on the grass when Godric finally came to her. She had only been there for a few minutes, but that had been difficult enough. Godric had listened to her sobs, his own eyes wide and his own mind struggling to comprehend what she was feeling. How many lives had he taken in the past? How many people had wept as she did now? He felt guilt at that moment. He felt sorrow for those people. However, he soon pushed those thoughts to the side, knowing that he had to put Amelia first. She deserved that right now. She deserved comfort if he could offer her some.

Moving with haste, Godric came outside and he saw Amelia still on the floor, knelt down and sobbing. All she wore was a small slip and a robe. Her feet were bare and her knees were damp from sitting on the ground. Crouching down besides her, Godric moved a hand to her shoulder and she looked over to him. Shaking her head back and forth, she allowed him to move his cold hands to her cheeks and wipe away her tears. But as soon as he had removed them, more replaced them.

"Come inside," Godric urged from her. "I don't want you to catch a cold, Amelia."

"What does it matter?" Amelia whispered, looking into his eyes with her wide and wet ones. "What does any of it matter?"

"It matters because Will would not want you to sit here and get sick, Amelia," Godric said. "Please."

He said nothing further as he helped her to her feet, finding her unsteady. He moved quickly, picking her up as though she weighed nothing as he carried her shaking body into the living room, closing the door behind him. Placing her down on the sofa, Godric's hands skimmed her bare thighs as he lowered her down and he knelt in front of her, keeping her hands inside of his as he wondered what to do.

"I…I'm sorry," Godric managed to speak. "Amelia, I am so sorry."

She said nothing to him. Instead she continued to stare into the distance, her mind clearly elsewhere. Godric reached onto the coffee table and grabbed a tissue, dabbing at her eyes as he let one hand cradle the back of her head.

"Do you want me here?" Godric wondered in a gentle voice. "I can leave you be if you so wish."

She looked to him then and shook her head. Godric nodded in response and moved to sit next to her on the sofa, slightly uncertain of what he should do. How should he comfort her? What was close enough? He shifted, slightly uncertain of his actions as he felt her drop her head onto his shoulder. He inhaled sharply at her scent, but soon moved to make her more comfortable, an arm going around her shoulders as she leant against him and he continued to sob. He would hold her for as long as she needed. That was the least he could do.

…

Sitting in the chair, Godric had left Amelia for the past couple of days. After that night he had spent holding her by his side, she had gone to the guest room and had not emerged for three days. Godric had been concerned and he would go and check on her, bringing her food and drink. She barely touched the food or spoke. She barely even made eye contact. He would just go into her room and find her clinging onto the ring that was around her neck.

"Have you seen what they have been saying on TV?" Stan demanded from Godric after returning home one evening.

Isabel had been out with her human, but Godric had asked her if she would return for he had something to discuss with both of them.

Looking to his underling, Godric remained passive. "I have not turned the TV on."

"It's a good job too," Stan snorted. "All they've been doing is following around Senator Jones and demanding to know if your interview was true. He's denying it, of course. He's saying that he is one hundred per cent certain that his daughter has been glamoured by you to say all that on TV."

"It was explained that she had not been glamoured," Godric spoke. "The AVL can attest to that."

"Godric," Isabel spoke his name softly as she sat on the sofa. "We just want you to be careful. Her father's career is slowly being ruined. We do not want to see him come to you for some kind of vengeance."

Godric's face softened then as he nodded his head to her. "I appreciate your concern, Isabel," he said in a gentle voice. "However, I shall be fine. No harm shall come to me. I can guarantee that. Yet, I do find myself needing to ask you both a favour."

"Anything," Stan grunted out.

"I know that the past few weeks have been difficult for all of us," Godric said as he shifted in his seat. "Seeing Amelia lose Will has made me come to understand that we should hold those we care for dearly. I want to help Amelia through this time in her life. I want her to be happy and safe. I just…I think that she needs space."

"Consider it done," Isabel said before Godric had even asked his question. Nodding her head, she looked to Stan as he grunted and shrugged. "Let us know when we can return."

"Thank you," Godric nodded. "I do not wish to sound so crass by asking you to leave your own home."

"The girl has nowhere else to go and needs space. We have people we can turn to," Isabel responded. "It is as it should be."

Godric hoped that would make Amelia feel more comfortable. It might make her come out of the guest room instead of hiding all of the time. Godric remained seated, lost in thought as his two underlings went to pack a bag. They left him alone and he contemplated cooking something for Amelia, but he was interrupted by a knock on the door. He suspected Stan might have forgotten his key, but the man stood in front of him was not one he had expected to see. The sneer on his face remained in place as his eyes scanned over Godric.

"Where is my fiancée, you bastard?"


	12. Chapter 12

Godric fought back the urge to let his fangs protrude. He looked to the man stood in front of him and he was everything that he thought he would be. He held an air of arrogance and petulance. He was taller than Godric and dressed in a smart grey suit with a purple tie against a white shirt. His hair was neatly coiffed and four men dressed in dark suits surrounded him. No doubt they were his security detail.

"I suggest you remove yourself from my property," Godric said.

"Or what?" he responded, his voice demanding as he eyed Godric with nothing but disgust. "You make one move towards me and I will have you staked on the spot you are standing on."

Godric almost felt the urge to look entertained as he heard him speak in such a manner. "Do you think that they would get close enough to try and stake me?" Godric enquired. "I will not ask you again. Leave my property."

"Not until I have my fiancée back."

"She is no longer your fiancée," Godric said and Daniel chuckled at hearing him. He arched a brow and folded his arms over his chest, nodding his head.

"We all know that interview you did on TV was bullshit," Daniel hissed. "Although, it was very clever of the AVL portraying you two as some kind of sick Romeo and Juliet…the star crossed lovers. It was much more believable than dragging that other sick fuck on TV and her telling people her father had injected him with Hep V when there was no evidence."

"I suggest you hold your tongue," Godric spoke. "After what you and her father have done, I am in no mood to listen to such crude words being spoken."

"He got what was coming to him," Daniel said. "As shall you."

"Perhaps one day," Godric nodded, "but it will not be at the hands of a snivelling human like you."

"You dirty-"

"-Daniel?"

Godric almost wanted to groan as he saw Amelia move down the staircase and enter the foyer. She looked over Godric's shoulder and to her former fiancé as she tugged the sweatshirt she wore down her bare legs, letting it cover her to her mid thigh. Her arms folded over her chest as she looked to Daniel. He puffed his chest out and held his head high, nodding once in her direction.

"Amelia," he spoke her name.

"What the fuck do you want?" she sneered at him and he looked to his ex-fiancée.

She had clearly lost weight and her cheekbones seemed more prominent. Her hair looked as though it needed a wash and he suspected she needed a shower. Her glare remained intense as she looked to him and he glanced to Godric.

"I think that this conversation is best had inside?" he said.

"I will not-"

"-Let him in," Amelia interrupted and Godric looked to her as she nodded to him, knowing full well what she was doing as she gave him a knowing look.

Godric stepped aside as Amelia walked into the kitchen and stood on one side of it while Daniel remained on the other side with his security detail. Godric prowled around them, keeping his eyes on Daniel as Amelia kept her distance from him, her eyes watching him as she continued to stare.

"I am here to take you home," Daniel said.

"No," Amelia said, her answer short and simple.

"Amelia, I mean it," Daniel said, his brow arched. "While we applaud the show you put on with that fang over there, we know that the damage can be repaired. You can come home and we can fix what has happened."

"Will is dead," Amelia said, ignoring his demand for her to come home as she watched him, seeing him gulp and struggle to hold her eye contact. "Will is dead and you and that bastard of a father I have murdered him. Do you think that I would come anywhere near you?"

"I think that you have no choice."

"I have a choice," Amelia said. "I have a choice because Will died for me to have a choice. I'm not going anywhere with you two. I am going nowhere near you."

"Amelia, you are being petulant," he said and she ground her teeth together as Godric watched her handle the situation herself, stepping closer to him as he continued to speak. "You would never have seen that fang again if you had not have snuck out to meet him. Or were you fucking him too? Is that it?"

Amelia moved then, her hand making contact with his face as she slapped him with as much force as she could muster. Her hair flew in her face as his head turned to the side and the noise echoed through the kitchen as he held his hand up once his security began to move towards her. They remained still as he slowly straightened himself out.

"We have traced your movements, Amelia," Daniel said. "We discovered you have been sneaking out and paying for things like concert and cinema tickets. You have a habit of spreading your thighs for those blood-sucking creatures."

"I'd rather spread my thighs for them than for someone like you," she hissed. "And contrary to what you think, Godric and I are just friends. You took away the one man I loved. You saw to it that he was murdered."

"Man?" he echoed back. "He was a dead fuck."

"He was twice the man you will ever be," she hissed to him.

"Listen to me, Amelia," Daniel snarled down to her. "You are coming home. You are going to go on TV and you are going to say that everything that you said in that interview was bullshit. You are going to back up your father's story and say that you were glamoured."

"Are you fucking delusional?" Amelia demanded from him, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. "I am going nowhere with you."

"Amelia, I didn't want to do this," Daniel said to her in a low and dark tone as Godric became more alert, prepared to intervene at any given moment. "We hurt one vampire that you love. Who is to say we won't hurt another one, hmm?"

"I don't love anyone else," she said with a shake of her head.

"Perhaps not, but you are staying in his house. We have ways of slipping Hep V into their bloodstream…through what they drink…through force…and we have men who will do it with no connection to us. Men who would never give us up. It would all be very discrete," he said and watched as realisation dawned on Amelia. He let his lips quirk as he heard the vampire in the corner growl lowly, prepared to remove the men from his house with sheer force if needed. "You've already killed one vampire by being involved with him. Do you want to kill another?"

It was then when Amelia moved with haste. Instead of slapping Daniel, she let her fingers ball into a fist as she punched him, this time sending him falling backwards as his hands went to his nose and Godric instantly smelt the blood. He kept his distance as Amelia spoke, her voice full of threatening malice as Daniel clung onto his nose.

"If you think for one minute I will let you hurt Godric like you did Will then you are even more of a thick fuck than I thought," Amelia said in a hiss, her voice dark. "I am coming nowhere with you. I am not going home and you can tell that bastard that I am going to make his life hell. He took away the one thing I loved and I am not going to stop until everything around him has crumbled to pieces. Do you understand me?"

Daniel said nothing then as Amelia turned her back on him and Godric moved towards her.

"You are making a big mistake, you stupid whore," Daniel hissed and Godric saw him step towards Amelia.

He moved then, blocking his path as Amelia looked at him over Godric's shoulder.

"Do not even try it," Godric said, his voice dark. "Now, you heard her. Leave."

Daniel shook his head as his security continued to wait for his signal. But he didn't give it. He stepped backwards and away from Godric, pointing between the two of them.

"Don't say you weren't warned."

"Fuck off back to your master and tell him what I said," Amelia said. "If he wants to challenge me then let him, but he's not winning…not this time. Both of you are going to pay for what you did. I will make sure of it."

"We'll see," was all that Daniel said and he stormed off, the four men following him as Amelia let out a shaky breath once she had heard the front door shut.

Looking to her, Godric saw her move to hold onto her fist and he arched his brows, concern evident on his face.

"Are you alright?"

"No," she said. "I've never punched someone before. I think I've bruised my hand."

Godric had moved in a flash then, pulling out an ice pack from the freezer and wrapping it in a towel. He draped it over her knuckles as he held her hands delicately and guided her to sit on a stool at the breakfast bar. He sat down next to her, knowing that he could let go of her hand, but he chose to keep it in his grip as he saw her look to him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Godric…Christ…I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologising?"

"Because I've been selfish," she said to him. "I might have put you in danger by not going with him…just like I put Will in danger…I never learn. I never ever learn."

Godric looked intrigued then. "Did you honestly think that I would let you walk out that door with him?" he asked from her. "Amelia, you could have been compliant with him and his demands, but I would never have let you walk out that door for my sake, not when I know that you want to be nowhere near your family."

"But-"

"-No buts," Godric said. "They could have said anything…threatened me with anything…but I would never have let you go. Do you understand me? I am going to help you, Amelia. I am not letting you do this alone."

"Thank you," Amelia said, her tone grateful as she allowed Godric to continue cradling her hand inside of his.

"We're friends, Amelia. I think that this is what friends do."

"I don't think any of my other friends would go this far for me," she said in a gentle voice as she inhaled a sharp breath. "Anyway, I'm sorry, Godric…I know…well…I've been hiding in that room and it's wrong. This is your home. I should go somewhere else. I know that."

"Amelia, no," Godric said firmly with a shake of his head. "You don't need to go."

"I…I will," she said with a firm nod. "I just need to get my stuff. Everything is at my house…passport…bank cards…although I bet my accounts have been frozen. I don't even have the documents to get a job…or any money on me."

"Irrelevant," Godric said to her. "Amelia, all of that is irrelevant. You can have your mother meet one of my underlings at a location to give you what you need and want. That is if you think she will help you?"

"I know she will," Amelia said. "She's not like Daniel…or my father…I trust her."

"Then call her when you need to," Godric said with a nod of his head. "But do not even think that you need to leave here because it is not a priority. You can stay here for as long as possible."

"Godric, that is kind of you, but I cannot expect you to look after me like that. I want to stand on my own two feet. I want to be strong. I want to do what Will wanted me to do. I just…at the moment…the thought of doing it is difficult. I don't know if I am being pathetic and weak, but I just…I feel nothing, Godric. I spent days crying and now I just feel numb without him."

"Understandable," Godric spoke with a nod of his head. "You need time, Amelia, and you don't need to be strong all of the time."

"But I do," Amelia responded. "I need to be strong because as soon as I let my guard down, they'll attack or do something I'm not prepared for. And I'm not letting them get away with this, Godric. I can't let them."

"They will get away with nothing," Godric promised her. "You know how old I am, correct?"

"Yeah," she said.

"And my age brings with a lot of power…my abilities are ten times that of a vampire born hundreds of years ago," Godric said and Amelia allowed her eyes to widen as he continued to stare at her, the intensity of his gaze almost enough to make her consider looking away. "If anyone dares to hurt you then they shall have to answer to me. Your fiancé came close to facing my wrath this evening, but you…well…you intervened and held your own."

"I…" Amelia trailed off, looking down as she chewed on her bottom lip and then peeked back up to him. He watched as she looked to him through her lashes, her gaze utterly bewildering as he struggled to comprehend why anyone would want to harm her. "I know that Will asked you to look out for me. He didn't necessarily tell me, but I know Will and what he is like, but…I don't want you to do it out of some sense of loyalty to a promise. Godric, I don't want to be a burden on you and that is exactly how I feel."

Godric almost felt a low growl escape his chest as he heard her. Did she truly think that? Did she honestly believe herself to be a burden to him? Godric did his best to remain calm, but he was finding it increasingly difficult whenever he heard her speak of herself as someone not worthy of being cared for or looked after. It took him a couple of moments before he spoke again, gathering his thoughts.

"Will did ask me to look out for you," Godric admitted to her. "However, I would have looked out for you regardless of whether or not he asked me to. Do you not see, Amelia? I am your friend, am I not? We have grown close…I have allowed myself to grow closer to you than I have any human. What is it about yourself that thinks you do not deserve such kindness? Such protection? When I look at you all I see is goodness…kindness…nothing like my own life."

"Godric," she whispered, urging for him not to make her cry as he spoke. But it was too late. Tears were already brimming in her eyes and he heard her voice falter. "I'm not a good person, Godric. I'm…I'm dangerous to be around…I was selfish…so selfish. How can you even want to be around me? I don't understand it."

Godric suspected her tears were to do with years of living with people like her father and former fiancé. She had been broken down by them. They had constantly told her things that were untrue, yet she believed them. She looked broken and destroyed. She looked tired and upset. But Godric wanted her to accept the truth. He wanted her to see that she was none of those things. After years on earth, he knew monsters when he saw them. Amelia Jones was no monster.

"Because of all the things that I have just said," Godric responded, moving his hands out to hold her cheeks. "Listen to me, everything that your father or fiancé has told you is a lie. You are not selfish. You are not to blame for anything that has happened. This is how they want you to feel, Amelia. Do not let them do that. Do not let them make you feel so insecure."

Amelia scoffed then and rubbed her eyes. "That's hard after years of dealing with them," she admitted. "Listen, Godric, it means a lot…everything you have done and said…you didn't need to. In fact, you didn't need to do half of what you have done for me."

"I want to," he responded calmly. "I will help you face whatever they throw at you."

"It might get ugly."

"I've lived for centuries. I have seen ugly," Godric promised calmly.

"I'm not letting them win, Godric," Amelia whispered. "I want to destroy everything that they have worked for…I know that his political campaign is ruined, but I want to make sure he is disgraced…never to go on a TV screen again…you see, he killed Will. He took him away from me, but death would be too easy for that bastard. Ruining his life would give me more satisfaction."

"And what do you have in mind?" Godric asked, his hands stroking her cheeks.

"He threatened me for months…years…" Amelia whispered. "I'm going to see how he likes it in return."

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	13. Chapter 13

Standing besides Amelia in the dark street in downtown Dallas, Godric kept his eyes alert alongside his ears. He knew that at the first noise of danger then he would get both of them out of there. Amelia had told him that she trusted her mother, but he was not too certain. Too many people had lied and deceived him in the past and trust didn't come naturally to him, especially with people he had just met.

Amelia tapped her foot on the sidewalk, her arms folded over her chest and crumpling the leather jacket she wore over a plain white shirt tucked into dark jeans and ankle boots. She had pulled her hair into a ponytail, complaining that it was growing too long as it flapped in the breeze. Godric had chosen his sneakers, jeans and a dark blue shirt, his taste simple yet expensive.

"She's here," Amelia said as she saw a silver BMW pull up to the curb.

Marianna Jones climbed out from the driver's seat, looking behind to make sure she hadn't been tailed. She moved around the car, using the key to pop open the trunk as Amelia looked to her. Her mother seemed to be holding back the tears as she rushed forwards and the two met. Marianna clung onto her daughter, her arms going around her as she felt Amelia hold her back.

"I am so sorry," Marianna whispered in a gentle voice as Godric gave the two of them room. "Amelia, I am so sorry."

"It's not your fault," Amelia muttered against her mother's shoulder, but Marianna shook her head and pulled back, cupping her daughter's cheeks and kissing her chastely on the forehead.

"It is," Marianna responded with a firm nod. "I should have done more, Amelia. I should never have let him do the things that he did. I was weak and pathetic…not like the woman I was…nothing like her."

"Leave him," Amelia urged her mother, grabbing hold of her hands and squeezing them tightly. "What is keeping you with him? I know you…I know that you cannot be happy. You were a doctor in the ER. You used to save lives. Being the wife of a politician…you said it yourself…you never wanted that kind of life."

Marianna scoffed and nodded, a small laugh escaping her as she looked to her daughter with sad eyes. Amelia's brow furrowed as she continued to watch her mother, wondering exactly what she was keeping from her. She never had a chance to find out as Marianna's cell began to ring. Pulling it from her bag, she checked the ID and rejected the call, tossing the device back inside.

"Your father thinks I have gone for groceries. He will be wondering where I am," Marianna said and she moved into the trunk, pulling out a large duffel bag. "I packed your clothes and other things like your passport and driver's licence. Your father has frozen your accounts, but I have an account set up in my name that he doesn't know about. The card and number are in the bag. I also…well…I found a photo of you and Will…and there's your teddy I bought you when you were a baby. I know it's pointless giving you it. You're too old for it, but I just…well…"

"You know I used to go nowhere without that teddy," Amelia said and she took the bag from her mother. She was about to fling it onto her shoulder when Godric stepped forwards, holding a hand out expectantly.

"Allow me," he urged from her and Amelia smiled, grateful he had finally stepped out of the shadows as she watched him toss the bag onto his shoulder as if it weighed nothing.

"Thank you," she said and looked to her mother. "I take it you recognise Godric?"

"I do," Marianna said and she seemed slightly weary as the two of them looked to each other. "My daughter seems to trust you a lot and you…you seem to care for her. I know that TV interview might have been set up, but I don't think what you said was an entire lie from what I saw."

Godric looked to Marianna with intrigue, wondering just what he should say to her. Clearly she loved Amelia. She loved her and was willing for her to be safe, even if that meant not being the one to protect her. It took a second before Godric nodded his head.

"I have grown to care for Amelia. I assure you that I shall protect her," Godric said.

"Doing what I should do," Marianna muttered and shook her head. "I'm a terrible mother, Amelia, I know that. I don't deserve you…I should have protected you…"

"No," Amelia said forcefully. "You were the one who helped to keep me sane. Please…just consider leaving him. Leave him and be happy again."

"It's too late for me, darling," Marianna said sadly. "Regardless, your father is planning how to repair his reputation. The facility has been shut down and there is no talk of it reopening, but he is growing close to Steve Newlin and the Fellowship of the Sun. I think that he could…maybe…be plotting something with both of them."

"And Hep V?" Godric was the one to ask. "Who is to say that he doesn't have someone else making that disease?"

"He knows that he is being watched," Marianna said in a solemn voice. "The AVL might not admit to it and be too clever to get caught, but he knows that his every move is being scrutinised. The Hep V…the ingredients…formula…whatever…I don't know where it is, but I can try to find out."

"I assume he has it locked away somewhere safe."

"I assume so too," Marianna said as her cell began to ring again and she groaned before rejecting her husband's call once more and looking to the two stood opposite her. "I will see what I can do, but I don't think you need to worry, Amelia. He's not going to be doing anything for a long time to hurt other vampires. I'll make sure of it."

"Just…please stay safe," Amelia urged from her mother.

"I will," Marianna said and moved to embrace her daughter one final time. "I love you, Amelia. I love you so much."

"Love you too," Amelia muttered before her mother pulled back and kissed her on the cheek.

Marianna gave a final nod to Godric, who also inclined his head, before climbing back into the car and driving off, leaving the two of them on the sidewalk. Godric looked to Amelia as she stared after her mother's car. He watched her with curiosity before he held his arm out to her.

"We should return to the nest," he said and she nodded.

"How…I mean…how did you want to get back? I can hold the bag while you fly?"

"Not necessary," Godric said with a shake of his head. "I can carry you with ease."

Amelia almost wondered how before he demonstrated with super speed and strength. He grabbed hold of her under her legs, knocking her from her feet as he caught her back and under her knees. Draping an arm over his neck, Amelia looked to him as his gaze remained on her, their faces inches from each other. Amelia managed a small smile and a nod before Godric turned away, knowing that any moment he had felt between them had been solely on his part.

Launching them into the sky, Godric flew them back to the nest, landing gently after a few minutes and feeling Amelia's hands slip down his shoulders as she straightened herself up on the ground. Godric kept a hand on the small of her back as he guided her towards the front door, unlocking it in a second and then letting her in. He watched her move towards the kitchen and pour water into the kettle as he chucked down the duffel bag in the foyer.

"Do you want a drink?" she wondered from him, seeing that the clock had just struck ten.

"I am fine," Godric responded as he watched her pull out a mug and place a tea strainer filled with herbs into it, waiting for the kettle on the stove to boil. "What is on your mind?"

"Am I that obvious?" Amelia scoffed, shrugging out of her jacket.

Godric's lips turned up for a second. "Only because I know you," he responded in a gentle voice. "You always chew your lip and look apprehensive when you have something plaguing your thoughts."

"It's what…" Amelia trailed off as she sat down next to him at the breakfast bar. "I want to make him hurt for what he did to Will. I just worry…I think…my mom didn't entirely seem herself tonight…I think she is hiding something from me…something bad."

Godric nodded. "I got that sense too."

"And whatever I do, I don't want her to get into trouble," Amelia said. "You know what he is like. He is crazy and deranged. I just want her to be safe from him."

"Perhaps you need to speak with her again?" Godric suggested. "You need to find out exactly what it is that she is keeping from you. I think that is of the upmost importance to you."

Amelia nodded her head. "It is," she said, "but I just want to make him pay so badly."

"You have seen the papers, yes?" Godric enquired from her. "Your father's ratings are at an all time low. People do not trust him. They see through him. He cannot make Hep V without the AVL watching him like a hawk. Amelia, I think that he is ruined. I think that he has nowhere to go."

Amelia shook her head. "I think he will plan something," she responded. "He's not a man who accepts defeat so easily. I think that he will eventually do something."

"Eventually," Godric echoed that word back to her. "The AVL have him under their watch, however, I did not wish to tell you this before…yet…now I think that it might be for the best."

Amelia frowned. "What is it?" she asked from him.

"The AVL saw what our interview did for their ratings, Amelia," Godric said to her in a soft tone. "You were a hit. People adored you for being honest…for being brave in telling them about your father, despite him being a powerful man. They want to know more. They want you to keep on doing interviews."

"I don't know how to do that without us pretending that we are an item, Godric," Amelia said and she slipped down from the stool to pour the boiling water into her mug, placing the kettle back onto a cool ring on the stove. She picked the mug up and held it in her fingers tightly. "If I go to the press and tell them what he is really like then they will want to know about us."

"I am aware," Godric said. "People have bought our story and, while I know it is a fiction, I do care for you and I do want to help you. Believe me, it took everything inside of me not to rip your ex-fiancée's head from his shoulders. If this is what it takes to destroy them…to protect vampires…then perhaps it is necessary."

Amelia felt herself warm under his stare, her gaze wide and her forehead wrinkling as she moved the mug to her lips and sipped on it. "You would do that for me?" she asked of him.

"I would do anything to keep you safe and protected," Godric said. "If this makes you feel safe, then I would be willing to help you."

"I just feel like I should be the one to do more…to truly make him suffer…not dragging you into this mess."

Godric smiled at hearing her, wondering if she knew how much like a vampire she sounded as she sipped on her drink.

"You are doing that," Godric told her. "You ruined his career by going on TV. You ruined his image. Amelia, you destroyed him and, if he even attempts to rebuild his life, then you can ruin it again in a heartbeat. The power is in your hands. But…I do not wish to see you be so consumed by vengeance all of the time. I want you to move on once this is done. I want you to see that you do have a future."

Amelia sighed as Godric watched her. It took another moment before she went to sit down next to Godric. Moving a hand on top of his, she gave it an affectionate squeeze before turning to look him in the eye.

"I always wanted to teach night classes," she said to him. "Teaching vampires…or students who couldn't attend school during the day. I thought it would be great if I was going to stay with Will. We could both be awake at night…but then I started thinking about other things…about teenage vampires who never really get as good of an education as humans."

"You wanted to right the wrongs of an education system?"

"I just wanted to help," Amelia shrugged. "I found such a love in losing myself to books that I thought others might too."

"There is something to be said for classic literature," Godric mused.

"You like reading?"

"I used to," Godric said. "I have read many books in my time, but it is difficult to find a modern author I enjoy. I enjoy the old authors…Dickens…Shakespeare for plays…Wordsworth for poems."

"I love Wordsworth," Amelia admitted to him. "Did you know that I was lucky enough to visit his grave in the UK when we visited the Lake District? I remember standing there and just wondering what it must have been like to be one of the great poets of the Romantic Age?"

"I was never fortunate enough to have met him," Godric said to her. "However, I regret that I have been so remiss in my role as a host. I should have known that you had a great love for books."

Slipping from his seat, Godric urged for her to follow him. She did so, moving through the living room and into Godric's office, a room she had not dared to venture into. The room was filled with oak furniture, paperwork on his desk along with a laptop. However, as Godric held the door open he saw her eyes widen in awe as she saw the bookshelf lined up against the back wall.

"When Will asked for a copy of Pride and Prejudice I never thought to show you this room," Godric said. "However, there are many first editions on that bookshelf. Jane Austen…Bronte…Dickens…anyone you wish to read, you may take."

"Are you serious?" Amelia asked, her voice full of awe as she let her hand skim the covers of the books. "Godric, this is incredible."

"Quite," Godric merely said to her.

Turning to look to him, Amelia let a smile remained on her lips. "Thank you," she said in a gentle voice.

"You are welcome," Godric said, realising that was the first time he had seen her smile in weeks. It was a genuine and heartfelt smile. She looked engrossed as she turned back to the books and Godric hoped that this could be a turning point for her. Perhaps he could make her happy if he kept on trying.

Turning back to face Godric, Amelia let the small smile occupy her face as her gaze met Godric's gaze. "So," she said in a gentle voice, "I can't help but notice that you hardly have any Tru Blood in your house."

Godric watched her pick up a copy of Sense and Sensibility, skimming the pages as he nodded and moved to perch down in the big chair by the corner of his bookshelf. He leant forwards, his hands clasped together as Amelia put the book back and looked over to him.

"I hardly need blood," Godric informed her. "I do not find myself hungry all too often."

"But…I mean…shouldn't you drink sometime?" she wondered from him and Godric felt her sit down on the arm of the chair he was in, folding one leg over the other. "I don't pretend to know a lot about vampires, but I don't think it's healthy for you to starve yourself."

Godric felt his lips quirk as he nodded. "Believe me," he said in a gentle tone, "I have drank my fair share of blood in the past. I have…I have done things I am not proud of…things that I wish to forget."

Amelia took a second before gulping. "But that doesn't mean that you should torture yourself now," she said to him. "I mean, Will said that you sort of have a reputation, but that is in the past. You have repented…made mistakes…but I do not think that makes you a bad person."

Godric turned his gaze to look up to her, searching her gaze as she moved a hand to his shoulder and gripped hold of it softly, a thumb running over it. "If you knew what I had done then you would not comfort me so, Amelia," Godric said, a dangerous edge to his voice. "I do not deserve any sympathy or pity. I do not deserve to repent."

"I…I don't pretend to know your past," Amelia said to him. "Godric, I shall not pry. I shall not demand to know every detail of your past two thousand year existence, but if in those two thousand years you have made mistakes, just think about all of the good you have done-"

"-But they were not mistakes," Godric said. "How you can see the best in me is beyond my comprehension. I do not deserve it. I do not deserve someone like you looking out for me."

"Don't do that," she urged from him in a harsh tone. "Don't push me away or tell me not to worry about you because I do, okay? You've been a good friend to me. You've worried over me and you've helped me more than you know. I want to help you too…I'm not going to push you on talking about things that make you uncomfortable, but I don't want to sit here today and watch you struggle because you refuse to drink blood."

Godric said nothing to her then as she shrugged her shoulders, waiting for some kind of response. It was another moment before she felt him move her hand from his shoulder, his fingers squeezing onto hers as he felt her slip down from the arm, his movement of her hand harsher than he had intended. He felt her slip down into the seat next to him, acutely aware of how close he was to her. He dropped her hand from his as she patted his thigh once and leant her head back on the seat, closing her eyes.

"As my friend, promise me you won't let yourself get ill, okay?" she urged from him. "You're looking paler every day."

"I'm fine," Godric said. "But I promise that I shall care for myself."

"Good," Amelia nodded. "Because…well…you do have a human living under your roof who has pretty much acted as a blood bag for a while."

Godric nodded and looked to her. "Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome," she responded. "Anyway-"

Amelia stopped talking as she heard a cell begin to ring. Godric offered her an apologetic stare before pulling his cell from his pocket and placing it against his ear. Amelia struggled to hear the conversation despite being sat next to him. He simply muttered a yes and an okay before he reached to the table next to the chair and turned on the TV in the corner of the room with the remote.

"What is going on?" Amelia enquired from him.

"Your father is on TV," Godric said as he felt her stiffen next to him and he moved his hand on top of hers.

It was another moment before the screen burst to life and Amelia and Godric remained sat where they were. The screen showed her father, mother and Daniel sat on a long sofa, the three of them looking solemn as Martin Jones spoke to the interviewer, his gaze apologetic and his voice gentle.

"My daughter has always had an active imagination. Even as a child…she was good at making up stories. I…I never thought that she would do this to me, her own father. I never thought that she would lie on national TV against me. I see now what she is trying to do. She is inventing these stories to cover the truth. The truth is simple. My daughter had an affair with a vampire. I…I thought that she was simply saying those things on TV because the vampire had glamoured her, but I see now that she is simply vindictive towards me. I do not know why. I simply know that my daughter is fanciful and trying to make herself look better following her affair."

It was then when Amelia felt her mouth drop open and she gaped. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"How could he…he…he sits there and lies!" Amelia blurted out.

Godric nodded. "Do you still wish to fight this?" Godric enquired from her.

"He wants to try to ruin and discredit me," Amelia said. "I meant what I said to Daniel. I am going to destroy him. I want to hurt him."

"Then let us do it together," Godric said and the two looked at each other. "It would give me no greater pleasure right now."

"You and me both," Amelia said and went back to watching the TV as Godric watched her from the corner of his eye, knowing that things were going to get ugly very soon.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	14. Chapter 14

Looking to Nan Flanagan, Godric did his best not to let his anger show as she spoke. He had agreed to go along with Amelia's plan in an attempt to thwart her father. However, that did not mean that he enjoyed working alongside Nan in order to achieve their goals. They had been told that they would take part in another TV interview and Godric had watched as Amelia had been dragged from his side on they had entered the Hotel Carmilla. The AVL had offered to put them up in the hotel for a night considering they wanted Amelia to do interviews with journalists the following morning.

Once Nan had finished lecturing him, Godric had watched the room as he stood by the door in the meeting room, the setup very similar to the last time he had been with Amelia. Amelia had been forced behind a screen with another woman who had fitted her into a dark navy dress. Godric had then watched as her hair had been coiffed and her make-up applied. She had slipped into a pair of navy heels and had clung onto the ring around her neck. He could sense her turmoil. He knew that she did not wish to do this. She felt as though she was disrespecting Will. But this was the way to avenge him. This was the way to make him pay.

Sitting down on the chair by the sofa, the interviewer this time was a man in his late '40s. He had dark hair that hung down to the nape of his neck and his eyes were a light green. The suit he wore was smart and navy, a purple tie against a white shirt. He was some late night chat show host Godric had seen before when he had been flipping TV channels.

Godric sat down next to Amelia once she had been deemed camera ready. He had looked over to her and instinctively his hand had gone to cling to hers, hoping that he would be able to offer her some kind of comfort. She looked to him and managed a smile, her fingers squeezing onto his.

"Right," the interviewer spoke, "I'm Jimmy Bard, and it's a pleasure to met both of you. I saw the interview you did the other week…I didn't think the Senator would be fighting this like he is doing."

"You and me both," Amelia mumbled as she shook his hand and he took Godric's fingers.

"So, it's pretty much the same as you've done. I'll just be asking you questions that people want to know," Jimmy said. "People are interested in your romance, but they're interested in Amelia's history too. They want to know what it was like living with her father."

"I can do that," Amelia nodded her head.

They lapsed into silence as Jimmy went to checking his cards and then the countdown was on. Jimmy was charming on camera. He oozed charisma and Amelia wondered how he could do his job. She had found her knee bouncing up and down from nerves, trying to take deep breaths and calm herself. But then Godric had done it for her. He had moved a hand to her thigh, holding it steady in his cold grip as she looked to him and he hoped that he had offered her the encouragement she needed.

"I am sure you saw the interview your father did last night?" Jimmy said once the pleasantries had been exchanged.

"I did," Amelia nodded her head.

"And what did you think of it?" Jimmy pushed, leaning forwards. "He said some pretty scathing things about you."

"I know," Amelia said. "I know what he said and I know…I know that he is disappointed in me. He is disappointed in the choices that I have made. I always tried to be a good daughter. I tried for so long and I tried so hard. When I was a teenager I did everything not to put a foot wrong. I never went to parties. I never rebelled. I went to dinners and sat dutifully by his side, but it was never enough. He always told me how I did stuff wrong."

"What like?"

"Things like…such…" Amelia stumbled for a moment and Godric saw her begin to falter, going back to that time in her life. "I was a fourteen year old girl and he criticised my looks. He pulled me up on when I looked a mess when I was out and photographed with friends. I said the wrong things to the people we went to dinner with…I was a kid. I was a kid and nothing I did was good enough. I got a C in Math and I remember he told me how I couldn't go out and do regular things with my friends because I needed extra tutoring. I changed when I went to college. I finally had my freedom. I finally could do everything I wanted to do."

"And did you?"

"Oh yeah," Amelia said with a slim smile. "I ate fast food. I partied. I drank. I did what I wanted when I wanted. I know that he hated it, but I just wanted to lash out. I didn't want to be the perfect daughter. Besides, I couldn't even be that when I tried, so I just stopped trying."

"Your time at college was documented by the press, especially so since your father was being tipped for a top position in government," Jimmy said. "So that brings me onto that photo of you with your boyfriend. It was quite the scandal here when it was released."

Will. He was talking about the photo of her and Will leaving the cinema. It was the only photo that had been published of the two of them. Will had seen to that. Amelia had told him how she would have understood if he didn't want to be with her because of a media circus. But Will didn't care. He had helped her to avoid their glaring lenses and in turn had protected her from the limelight.

"Will was my first boyfriend," Amelia nodded her head. "We met on a night out and, I admit, I was apprehensive. When you grow up being told that vampires are dangerous, you end up believing it…but then…well…he tried to flirt with me and he was terrible. He was horrific. We ended up laughing about it, but Will was good. He taught me so much about myself…about vampires…I truly did love him."

"So he was your first love?"

"Yes," Amelia said, trying not to let tears fill her eyes as she wondered what he would say if he could see her now. "He showed me that vampires could be kind and caring. He showed me that everyone is different. There is no us and them. There are good vampires and there are bad vampires. There are good humans and there are bad ones. Nothing is black and white…everyone is unique and different…"

"And what happened, Amelia, if you don't mind me asking?"

Godric did feel her shift then. She was struggling to keep up. She was struggling to talk about him. It was another second before she gathered herself and Godric caught her hand in his, holding her fingers gently.

"Will moved on," Amelia said, not knowing what else to say as she gave a stiff nod of her head. "We both moved on."

"And then you fell for Godric."

Amelia looked to Godric as he smiled down to her and she nodded her head. "And then I fell for Godric," she said, searching his gaze. "I know what my father is saying about me and Godric. I know that he wants to think of us as nothing but vindictive liars, but that's not true. All we want is to be left alone. We want to be happy…but we're not going to sit here and listen to him lie. He is not a good man. He is the liar. He is the vindictive one."

Amelia looked back to Jimmy and the rest of the interview passed by quickly. Godric remained silent for the most part, knowing that it was Amelia's stories people wanted to hear. They wanted to know how her father had mistreated her. Once the interview was done, Godric had stood up and left the room with Amelia once their mics had been taken. They had taken the elevator up to the fifth floor and Godric had unlocked the door to their room, holding it open for Amelia.

"How was it?" Amelia wondered from him.

"It went well," Godric said to her.

He closed the door behind him, locking it as he saw Amelia slide her heels from her feet. The suite they were staying in had only one bed. Nan had insisted that they have only one room considering they were acting as a couple. She didn't want anyone to contradict otherwise.

"What do you think he will do?" Amelia said, knowing that Godric wouldn't have the answer, but she was simply thinking aloud. "We can't keep doing this…going through the media and doing interviews…he's not going to like it. There is too much mud slinging."

Godric arched a brow and sat down on the sofa next to Amelia as she flopped onto the seat.

"You think he might try something else? What like?"

"No idea," Amelia shrugged and yawned loudly. "I gave up trying to guess what he will do months ago."

"Whatever it is, we'll be ready for it," Godric said to her and she saw him close his eyes for a moment.

Her brow furrowed out of concern then as she saw him move his hands to hold his thighs and his lips parted, his breathing steady. He looked exhausted. He was paler than she had ever seen a vampire. He seemed drained. Amelia moved with haste then, pushing her knees to kneels on the sofa, the cushions shifting under her weight and startling Godric to open his eyes. He looked to her as she tilted her head to the side.

"When was the last time you drank?" she demanded from him.

"I do not need-"

"-You were about to fall asleep during the night," Amelia interrupted him. "So do not even try to lie to me and tell me that you're fine. I'm not blind, Godric. I mean…I need you, Godric. I need you if I'm going to keep doing this because…I'm not going to lie…the idea of doing this alone sort of scares me. I need you, Godric."

Godric arched a brow, his lips quirking slightly. "Was that an attempt at emotional blackmail?"

"Partly," Amelia shrugged, "did it work?"

"You were very convincing."

"But not lying," Amelia said. "I do want you, Godric. I want you to stay with me. I know that's selfish, but you're my friend. I could do with a friend through this."

"You've got me," Godric promised her.

"Then drink…please?" Amelia urged from him, leaning forwards to pick up a menu from the coffee table in front of her. "They have human donors in the hotel. Some of them have rare blood which would probably help. I can send for someone if you want?"

"I do not enjoy drinking from the hotel donors," Godric said, shifting in his seat slightly. "Many of them gain too much pleasure from vampires drinking on them and are far too vocal for my liking. Perhaps a bottle of Tru Blood might help?"

"Godric, Tru Blood is hardly strong enough," Amelia said. "You need your strength and I haven't seen you drink in the past few weeks I have known you. Listen…I mean…I don't want to make this awkward. I don't-"

"-No," Godric interrupted. "Amelia, I cannot do that."

"Well, we're running out of options," Amelia shrugged. "Godric, it's fine. We're friends and this is just me wanting to help you. It's nothing else…plus it might be better than having to listen to a moaning blood donor you're sucking from."

Godric let his lips quirk for a moment. "I confess, I can go a long time without blood," he said, "but I do find myself needing to feed."

"Then let me do this," Amelia urged from him. "I don't mind, okay? I've been bitten from before and I trust you. I know that you wouldn't hurt me."

"Never," Godric whispered as he saw her pull her hair over one shoulder. Looking to her slender and pale throat, Godric could almost feel his breathing speed up.

"It's been a while," Amelia muttered, "so…just…well…I don't know how to do this so it's any less awkward."

Godric chuckled at hearing her as he moved closer to her. He moved an arm over her waist, his hand cupping the other side of her neck that she had tilted away from him. His other hand went to her neck, stroking the skin softly as Amelia closed her eyes, waiting for the sharp moment of pain. Godric could almost taste her blood as he closed his own eyes and allowed his fangs to protrude with a soft snicking noise. Before he could move closer to her, Amelia opened her eyes and looked to him, a hand going to his chest to stop him for a second.

"Just don't get blood on the dress," she urged. "It's Gucci and a rental. I don't think the TV company would be happy if I got blood on it."

Godric continued to smile as he nodded and Amelia went back to tilting her head to the side. Godric slowly moved his hand from stroking her neck, cupping the back of her head tenderly as he moved closer, his nose burying into her neck as he inhaled a sweet scent of grapefruit. He felt something stir inside of him before he buried his fangs into her neck. He felt her shake slightly for a moment and a gasp escaped her before she went limp, resting against the back of the sofa.

The two of them were silent. The only noise in the room was Godric's drinking from her and Amelia's short and sharp breaths. Godric did his best to control himself, the taste of her blood slightly sweet, but not unpleasantly so. It tasted lovely and addictive. He knew that he had to stop drinking soon, however. He forced himself to pull away, his fangs still sticking out from his teeth as he moved a finger to one of them, pressing the tip of it to Amelia's neck to heal her wound instantly. There was a small bit of dried blood on her neck and he had no doubt he had some around his mouth.

He moved with haste, using his speed to go into the bathroom and wipe it from his mouth. He brought a damp cloth back into the sitting area, perching besides Amelia and wiping the blood from her skin.

"Are you okay?" Godric asked from her as he saw her closed her eyes and nod.

"Yeah," she told him. "I mean, I guess I could do with some food too."

"I shall order room service-"

"-Ugh," Amelia complained, wrinkling her nose. "No offence, Godric, but I checked out the menu and all they cook here is pretentious food I was forced to eat when I lived at home…none of it tastes great."

"Then what do you suggest?"

Amelia arched a brow. "Want to get out of here?"

…

Godric had watched on as Amelia sat across from him at the tall table in the pizza restaurant. She had changed into a pair of jeans and a green shirt, her hair tugged into a ponytail. Godric remained in his dark jeans and a dark blue shirt, his eyes on Amelia as she ate the twelve-inch pizza in front of her and slurped on soda.

"I am impressed," Godric commented.

The pizzeria was quiet, except for a few customers. The high table they sat at was one of six in the place, everyone spread out and in their own groups for privacy. The staff at the wooden counter were simply talking and joking with each other during the quiet time. The room was dimly lit with soft white lights and there was gentle music in the background.

"With what?" Amelia asked through a mouthful of deep pan mushroom pizza.

"Your ability to eat a full pizza," Godric said. "I did not think you would manage it."

"Never question my ability to eat," she said, holding the slice in her hands.

"I see that now," Godric said. "Amelia…I…I do not wish to pry, but what you said during the interview today…about growing up…did your father truly say those things to you?"

"Yeah," Amelia said, taking another bite of the pizza and finishing it all off. She picked her cup of soda up and held it in her hands. "You know, I was thirteen and it's the one memory I have…and well…I know that I had everything handed to me on a plate. I grew up rich. I grew up going on expensive holidays. I never wanted for anything, but then I was thirteen when I was invited to Tracy Fawes sleepover. I'd never been to a sleepover before. I'd never had friends really…"

Amelia took another sip of her drink. "I mean, I knew kids who would come to my house and play, but they weren't really my friends. They were the children of my parent's friends. Tracy was different though. She was a nice girl…quiet…shy…but we met in the library one day and bonded over our love of books. We were friends for ages, but then when she asked me to sleepover one night, I remember what my parents said to me."

Amelia shook her head, a dark smile on her face before she looked to Godric. "My father told me that I should not be associating with her. She was the child of a single mother…a single mother who was dating a vampire. But her mom was always nice when I saw her. She worked three jobs to put her through private school. Tracy said she even loved her vampire boyfriend. He told me that I couldn't associate with people like Tracy. He said that I was better than her…better than them…but that's when I began to realise that he was wrong. She might have been poorer than we were. She might have not had a traditional family. But that didn't make her a bad person. She was better than anyone I knew at school."

"What happened?" Godric wondered.

"Tracy transferred to another private school and I…I saw her once in the mall, but her mom dragged her away from me," Amelia said. "I didn't stay away from her at school and so my father made sure she stayed away from me by transferring her."

"He did that to you?" Godric checked. "He bribed your own friend to stay away from you?"

"Well, he bribed her mother," Amelia shrugged. "But it was then when I realised that I needed to be free from him. I couldn't let him continue to control my life."

"And you were thirteen?"

"I know," Amelia said, slipping down from her seat. "Not the best, right?"

"Certainly not," Godric said.

"Anyway, that's in the past," Amelia said, finishing her drink and slipping down from the stool, plastering a smile onto her face. "Now I'm just focused on making him see what it is like having no control over things."

Godric moved from his seat and walked around the table as Amelia slipped into her leather jacket. He moved with her out of the pizzeria, his hand hovering over the small of her back as they came to the cool night breeze. Wandering down the sidewalk, Godric kept close to Amelia's side, his ears alert.

"Are you okay?" Amelia asked, wondering why he seemed slightly on edge.

"Hmm," Godric mused. "Something does not feel right."

"What is it?" Amelia wondered as she felt his hand finally press to the small of her back and she looked around, turning her head over her shoulder to see people walking behind them. But then her eyes landed on a man dressed in a dark grey suit. He held a cell to his ears and his eyes were settled on the two of them.

"I think he started following us when we left the restaurant," Godric said to her.

"But there are other people out here. He wouldn't try anything at night in a busy place, would he?"

"I do not want to take any chances," Godric spoke. "Do as I say and stay close."

Amelia had never heard Godric sound so dominant before as he led her down an alleyway and away from the crowd. Godric moved them down the alley, his hand on the small of her back as he heard the footsteps enter the alley. Moving with haste, Godric placed Amelia behind his own body, feeling her hands clinging onto his arms as they looked to the man saunter towards them.

"Who are you?" Godric demanded from him.

The man chewed on gum, the motion noisy and sloppy as he ran a hand through his short brown hair. "A concerned citizen," he said in a sarcastic manner.

Before the man could do anything further, Godric had rushed ahead, his hand around his neck as he forced him against the wall. He kept his grip tight as he lifted the man from the ground. But the man had moved a hand into his jean pocket, pulling something out. Godric saw it out of the corner of his eye and moved with haste. He grabbed the man's arm with his free hand, pinning it against the wall as he dropped the syringe from his fingers.

Looking down, Godric bared his fangs as he saw the liquid in the syringe. He didn't know what it was, but he had his suspicions.

"Hep V?" he guessed.

"He wants you dead," the man said, choking out his words.

"Then he needs to try better."

"No…we're doing just fine."

Godric's brow furrowed. We?

"Godric!" Amelia yelled loudly and he heard the next set of footsteps before he saw the man they belonged to. Dropping the man he had been holding against the wall, Godric turned and saw another man trying to sneak up on him, a syringe poised in his fingers. But he wasn't quick enough.

Godric had his head in his hands in an instant and he used enough force to break the man's neck. He dropped him to the floor as the other man reached for the dropped syringe, advancing on Godric. But Godric had him back against the wall, but this time he twisted his arm behind his back, hearing the bone shattering and screams leave the man.

"I know that he sent you," Godric hissed, his fangs threatening to rip into the man's throat as Amelia stood back, hands covering her mouth as she heard the man continue to whimper. "Martin Jones will not win. Besides, he has given me what I need."

"I will never talk."

"I can glamour you," Godric said.

"I'd rather die than let you win, you bloodsucking fang."

"Godric, we can take him to the AVL," Amelia said, but then Godric heard him speak. "We can glamour him. We can ruin my father."

"I know," Godric said, grabbing the man by the cuff of the neck and throwing him to the floor, the rage inside of him still strong as the man continued to smirk.

"He said she would try to do this if we were caught," the man said and Godric felt his eyes widen as the man addressed Amelia. "He also said that…if we got you…then we could have her. Her fiancé said that she was a whore…said that she'd spread her legs for anyone, the dirty fangbanging slut."

Godric felt his lip curl with anger then. He felt pure, white hot anger as he advanced towards the man who had grabbed a gun from his holster at his hip and was continuing his taunts.

"Is she tight, vampire?" he demanded, pressing the gun to his chin. "Is she a good fuck…the dirty little whore?"

It was then when Godric didn't hold back. In a second he had moved to kneel by the man before he could kill himself. Before he could pull the trigger, Godric relished hearing his faint scream as he broke his neck, leaving his corpse on the floor. Amelia stumbled backwards as Godric moved to his feet and looked down to the man.

"He deserved that," Godric hissed and turned to look to Amelia who had turned pale, her body shaking as he watched her. "Amelia, you are safe now."

"I know," Amelia nodded her head. "But we…we should have taken him in…we could have-"

"-He would never have spoke without being glamoured and your father would have twisted it round and said that we had glamoured him to say what we wanted," Godric said, his fangs going away. "But they did not deserve to live. The things he had said about you…what he would have done to you…I was not going to let him live for that. Let this be a message to your father and fiancé. If they send anyone else then it will be a waste of life."

Godric knew that they could possibly have taken the man in, but his rage had been too much. He had been unable to contain it. He didn't want to contain it. He had grown used to controlling himself, but he had been unable to do that as soon as the man had begun speaking of Amelia. Godric had pictured the things they would have done to her. He couldn't let that thought lie. He wouldn't.

"Are you okay?" Godric wondered from her, moving a hand down her arm.

"Yeah…yeah," Amelia said, taking a deep breath and gulping. "I guess I'm just not used to seeing people like that…or you…well…killing them."

"I did what was needed to protect you," Godric said. "I will always protect you."

"Thank you," Amelia nodded. "Did he hurt you, Godric?"

"Not in the slightest," he promised her. "Come on, we should go back to the hotel before someone spots this. I do not want Nan Flanagan on at me about this."

Amelia nodded as Godric took hold of her waist and steered her out of the alley, his arm securely hooked around her as the pair of them moved back towards the hotel. Godric kept his gaze alert and his grip on Amelia until they finally got back to the room. Locking the door behind him, Godric saw Amelia reach for the phone on the sideboard by the mirror.

"What are you doing?" he demanded from her.

"I'm calling him," Amelia said, her voice full of rage as she dialled the number for her home. She pressed the phone to her ear as Godric stood close to her, intent on listening into the conversation.

"Hello, Jones's residence."

"You bastard," Amelia seethed down the phone upon hearing her father pick the phone up. "Do you have any idea what they were going to do?"

"Amelia, I confess I have no idea what you are talking about. Have you lost your mind once more?"

"You know exactly what I am talking about!" Amelia snapped. "You sent someone to kill Godric. Of course, you'll never admit it. You know full well that if you did then I'd record it somehow. But…if you send anyone else after him…if you hurt him…"

"What will you do, Amelia?" Martin demanded from his daughter his tone harsh and demanding. "You're weak. You have no power to cause me any damage. Your TV interviews are rather entertaining, I will admit, but I have been in this game longer than you. I know how to work the media. I know how to manipulate them. If you keep on going then it will get uglier than it already is. You know I can do it."

Amelia blinked profusely then. "What did I ever do to you?" she wondered.

"Disappointed me," Martin said. "Was there anything else? Normal people tend to sleep at this time of night."

"I'm not going to give up," Amelia said firmly. "I'm not going to let you get away with this."

"You will," Martin responded confidently. "You wouldn't want anyone else to get hurt, would you? Just think about it, Amelia…think about that vampire of yours."

Amelia closed her eyes and shook her head. "I'll ruin you before you can hurt him."

"God, have you listened to yourself?" he demanded from her. "He's wormed his way into your life and you've fallen for another fang. I guess Daniel was right…you really are nothing but a little fangbanging slut."

Godric moved then, taking the phone from her and pressing it to his ear. He ground his teeth together as Amelia watched him.

"Listen to me and listen closely," Godric began, his tone low and threatening. "Those men you sent this evening to kill me were no match. They were children…pathetic and weak humans…if you send anyone else to hurt us then they shall suffer the same fate. I will kill every last one of them until you seem to get the message or you take matters into your hands. Believe me, nothing would give me greater satisfaction than seeing a man like yourself suffer after what you have done to your daughter who, may I add, is nothing you have made her believe she is. And if I ever hear you speak of her…let alone hurt her…in such a degrading manner, then I shall ensure you will beg for death by the time I am through with you."

Godric slammed the phone back down onto the receiver, but the force was so strong that the entire device broke under his harsh movement. Amelia recoiled as pieces went flying everywhere and Godric controlled his breathing, taking in short and sharp breaths as Amelia watched him.

"Godric…I…"

"I went too far," Godric said, shaking his head. "I know."

"No," Amelia responded with a shake of her head. "I mean…maybe…but what you said…"

"I meant every word of it," he promised her, looking into her eyes, his expression seemingly softer as Amelia began to wonder if there was any truth to what Will had said to her. How could there be?

His feelings for her were simply platonic. They had to be. But the way he had spoken and defended her and the way he looked at her now seemed to suggest something else. Amelia felt her throat clench, wondering what the hell was going on before she broke eye contact and moved to him. She placed her hands on his shoulders and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you," she simply said.

"Of course," Godric responded and he watched her move off into the bathroom, wondering exactly what she was thinking as she closed the door behind her.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	15. Chapter 15

Amelia and Godric had been sat in the same private lounge in the Hotel Carmilla for almost three hours. They had done six interviews with journalists and each one had been very similar. They had tried to delve deep into Amelia's life, wondering how often her father had harmed her mentally and physically. Many of them questioned why he would want to see her suffer as she was doing. Many of them wanted to know about how her and Godric had met.

Godric had helped her with those questions, putting on the display that people wanted to see. It was only just after midnight when the interviews finished and Nan told them that they were free to go if they so wished. Amelia had looked relieved at that. Moving to her feet, she moved through the private lounge towards the coffee machine, picking a white cup from the top of it and placing it into the machine, pressing buttons until the coffee poured out.

Moving a hand to her neck, she rubbed at it, feeling her muscles tightening and straining. She had been sat up straight and tense for the past three hours, doing her best not to put a foot wrong.

"Do you wish to return to the nest?" Godric asked from her. "I can have the bags sent to my car."

"Yeah," Amelia said with a nod of her head, holding onto the cup of coffee and turning to look to him. "Do you think that we can maybe stop at a store on the way back? I need a big bar of chocolate after all those interviews."

Godric smiled at hearing her and nodded. There were times when he enjoyed seeing this side to her. She was so human. She was so untainted, despite everything. She had gone through so much and all that she wanted was some chocolate. Godric found it quite fascinating. He let her finish her coffee before the two of them departed the hotel, Godric's hand on her back as he guided her ot the car and the bell boy loaded the bags into the trunk.

Holding the door open for her, Godric let her move to sit down in the passenger. They drove through the streets in silence until Godric reached a store a few blocks from his nest. He parked the car and climbed out. Amelia did the same, holding onto the small satchel her mother had packed for her. Godric walked by her side into the store, watching as she grabbed a basket.

He arched a brow. "I thought you simply wanted chocolate?" he wondered from her.

"I want enough of it that I don't think I'll be able to carry it," she said and Godric continued to let his lips arch. "Besides, I need other food too."

Godric walked by her side up and down the aisles, well aware that people were watching them. Amelia didn't seem to care, brushing by people and offering them small smiles and comments of 'thank you' and 'no worries' when they moved out of her way or apologised for getting the way. Godric watched her toss things into the basket, seeing her as she checked the backs of tins and jars before putting them in the basket.

It was only when she was picking out milk and orange juice did someone approach them. Godric remained aware of people's presence, hardly trusting anyone as he heard someone cough and then speak. Amelia turned her head to the side, a woman stood there with her nose held high in the air, her gaze intense. She wore dark pants and a light brown mac over her white shirt.

"You should be ashamed of yourself," the woman declared and Amelia arched a brow, holding the basket in one hand and the carton of orange in the other.

"Excuse me?" Amelia asked.

The woman sniffed loudly and looked between Amelia and Godric. "Trying to ruin your own father's career, it's shameful," the woman declared. "How can you be so vindictive?"

Amelia said nothing and placed her carton of orange juice into the basket. "Have a nice night," was all Amelia offered before taking hold of Godric's hand and dragging him away from the woman. Godric was less reluctant to go, but he let his hand entwine into hers and followed her.

Moving back down the aisles and to the checkout, Amelia unpacked the basket onto the conveyor belt while Godric helped her, tossing the empty basket under the checkout belt and then looked to Amelia.

"You handled that very well," he said and Amelia shrugged her shoulders.

"You get used to people having an opinion when you grow up in politics," Amelia said nonchalantly. "It becomes less bothersome after a while."

Amelia allowed the woman behind he checkout counter to scan her items as she bagged them with Godric's help. It took a few seconds before the woman behind the counter spoke, still scanning everything as she looked between Amelia and Godric, not wishing to make a fool of herself.

"You know," the woman said in a small voice, "I never liked that Senator. I never trusted him."

Amelia looked to the woman as she managed a soft smile for her. "Thanks," she offered her.

"I believe what you're saying about him. He always had a look to him that I never liked…smarmy…just cocky…and what he's done to you…well…I think it's a good job you got out," the woman said and Amelia did feel her lips lift into a genuine smile as she finished packing the last bag and Godric took hold of the two carriers into one hand.

"Well, thank you," Amelia said, moving to grab her purse from her bag and hunt for the bank card her mother had given her. She slotted it into the card machine and waited with patience. "It means a lot to know that there are some people out there who believe me."

"The ones who don't are fools, honey, trust me," she said and Amelia entered her pin before removing her card and putting it back into her purse and her bag. "Anyway, you take care," the woman nodded and then looked to Godric. "And you look after her."

"Gladly," Godric nodded his head and Amelia gave the woman a final wave as she walked back by Godric's side to the parking lot.

Opening the trunk, Godric placed the bags in before looking to Amelia and seeing the smile still on her face, but there were also tears in her eyes. Godric arched a brow as he shut the trunk once more and turned to look to her, a hand moving out to hold her cheek.

"What is wrong?" he enquired from her.

"Nothing," she said with a shake of her head. "Well, I mean…it's just…sometimes you forget that not everyone is against you…not everyone thinks you're a liar…it's just nice."

Godric continued to smile and he moved closer to her, daring to wrap his arms around her as her own arms snaked around him, her hands pressing to his back as Godric's chin just about managed to rest on the top of her head. He felt her press her face against his neck and he kept hold of her, not caring who saw them or who was watching.

"Come on," Godric urged from her after a minute, pulling back and moving a hand to her upper arm, running it down her hand. "I can get you a burger to go with that chocolate if you so wish on the way home?"

Amelia did smile then and laugh, running her hands over her wet eyes as she nodded. "I think I'd like that."

…

Godric had watched Amelia indulge in the cheeseburger and fries once they had got back to the nest and had unloaded and unpacked everything from the car. Amelia was sat by the fireplace, the food in front of her and in the paper bag as she kept her legs folded underneath her, the fire roaring. Godric had sat down next to her after a moment.

"I'd offer you a fry, but I doubt you'd want one," she said and Godric chuckled, stretching his legs out in front of him and letting his hands go behind him to support his weight.

Amelia tugged at the flowing skater skirt, covering her thighs further as she adjusted the vest top tucked into it. It was another moment before she picked at the soda, slurping it through the straw.

"I'm going to get so spotty if I keep having this much sugar," she complained, running a hand down her face. "I should maybe have a salad one day soon instead of living off junk food. I mean, it's alright for you. You have a frozen complexion and can't put on weight. What I wouldn't give for that right about now."

"It is not all that it is thought to be," Godric said to her in a soft voice. "Besides, you look fine, Amelia. You always do."

"You haven't seen me hungover," she responded with a sly smirk on her face. "Anyway, after everything that's happened, we haven't discussed you, Godric. I mean…I haven't forgotten how we first met, you know?"

"It is not about me right now," Godric said with a shake of his head.

"Yeah, but I am making it about you," she said, shifting so that she was facing him, still picking up the fries from their carton. "I'm serious, Godric, I might have started out as someone just wanting to help you, but I am your friend now…and you're kind of my only friend…I just want to know how you feel."

"I feel…well…" Godric said, looking down to the ground for a moment. "I feel better than I did when I first met you, Amelia."

"Really?" she asked from him.

"Really," he said. "Although I fear that I only feel this way not because of what you have shown me, but because I have done those things with you."

Amelia felt her cheeks warm up then, wondering what the hell was going on as she took another bite of her fry and Godric continued to watch her. He bit down on his tongue, knowing that he should do nothing to frighten her away from him. She had just lost Will. He should not be speaking in such a manner. He should not be making her question his feelings. He was her friend. That was all he could be, no matter if he felt something further.

"You have been a bright spot in my life, Amelia," Godric said in a gentle voice. "You have shown me the joys in life, but you have also shown me true friendship. It is something I have not experienced for many years."

"Does this mean you don't want to go to the Fellowship?" she checked with him.

"Not right now," Godric said to her.

Amelia arched a brow. "I would prefer for you to say never," she said and Godric continued to look slightly apprehensive. He looked pensive. He looked deep in thought.

"I do not know what the future holds," he responded cryptically.

Amelia moved and tossed her food to the side on the coffee table, kneeling in front of Godric as she cupped her hands in her lap and looked to him.

"But you have the future, Godric," Amelia said with haste. "You need to keep going on because there will be so much to see. You have seen so much already, but think about the future…about what you might witness…about the good that you can do. You have hundreds of years to come with people who adore you. I've seen Stan and Isabel. They love you very much…even Stan…and then you have your progenies who you told me about. There are people who will care about you, Godric."

"They would move on, Amelia," Godric said. "They have their own lives to live."

"And me?" Amelia wondered of him. "Do you think that I would move on?"

"I think that you should," Godric said to her. "I know that Will has gone and you miss him dearly, but he was right. He was right with what he said…you should move on and you should have a happy and normal life."

"Maybe one day," Amelia said, "but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't want you in my life, Godric. You're the only real friend I've ever had."

"I intend to go nowhere for as long as you need me," Godric assured her. "Amelia, we have other things to worry about. Do not worry about me doing something brash. I am here and I am going nowhere."

"And is that all I am going to get for now?"

"Yes," Godric said with a nod of his head. "I have seen so much in my life, Amelia. I have never truly permitted myself the friendship like the one I have with you. I have lived for two thousand years and I thought that it had been enough until I met you. You have convinced me to continue…no one has done that in all of those years…no one has been like you."

"Same," Amelia whispered in a soft voice, "but…well…I've only been alive for just over twenty years."

Godric smirked. "You have a while to go until you catch me up," he joked with her. She did let out a soft laugh then and nodded.

"I doubt I will ever catch you up," she said and he nodded in agreement then. "So, go on, what time was your favourite period?"

"I don't know," Godric responded. "There were times I detested and times I loved. I remember when Eric and I were fighting werewolves together during the Second World War. We were on a secret operation and it was just the two of us…it was…well…spending time with Eric was simpler back then. It was just us two for a while."

"I'm sorry," Amelia held a hand up, "did you just say werewolves?"

"You did not know about werewolves?"

"I had no idea!" Amelia snapped loudly.

"Oh yes," Godric nodded. "There are shifters too."

"Shifters?"

"Men who can change into animals," Godric said with a nod of his head.

"Stop it," Amelia said with a firm shake of her head. "God, can you imagine the fit my father would have if he knew about them?"

"I would quite like to see that," Godric mused and Amelia laughed and nodded her head. "However, for now I think we should simply focus on his issue with vampires. Regardless, that was a better time in my life…when I felt I had a purpose…of course, Eric preferred to go into the towns we visited and woo the local women."

"He sounds like a cad," Amelia said with an arch of her brow.

"He was…probably still is," Godric said. "I used to watch him dance with them and swoon over him in the town halls."

"I take it you did not dance?" Amelia wondered.

Godric let his lips arch upwards at hearing that. "I did," he said, "when I was asked to. Dancing back then was very different to how it is now…as I witnessed at that concert you took me to."

"I can imagine," Amelia said and moved to fold her legs beneath her. "You know, the first ball I went to was some Republican event and I was fifteen. I danced with so many teenage boys, but I hated it. I'm so clumsy when it comes to dancing in hold."

"Really?"

"Well," Amelia shrugged with a sly smirk, "sometimes I meant to stand on their feet, especially if they pissed me off."

Godric's lips quirked. "How I would hate to piss you off," he mused.

"Luckily, you haven't yet," she said.

"Yet?"

"It might happen," she tilted her head to the side. "Anyway, the sun is almost up. You should go and get some rest. I'm going to stay up for a while and cook some things and freeze them so I have food prepared…if that's alright?"

"Perfectly," Godric said.

Amelia moved to her feet, flattening her skirt against her thighs before she saw Godric stand in front of her. He looked to her for a few brief moments before inclining his head and moving a hand to her cheek, stroking it softly.

"Perhaps once this is all over I can take you to a proper dance…like the ones I went to," Godric mused and Amelia nodded her head.

"I'd like that," she told him, "so long as you are prepared for me to step on your feet."

"I think that I can handle that," Godric teased her back. "Sleep well, Amelia. I shall see you when the sun sets."

Amelia moved to embrace him one final time before pulling back. "Good…well…morning, I guess."

Godirc chuckled as she pecked his cheek one final time before letting him go. He moved up the steps, bounding up them with haste as Amelia went into the kitchen. She toyed with the ring around her neck before looking to where Godric had disappeared to, her mind wondering just how she could keep him safe and happy. She didn't want him to meet the sun.

Amelia set about making a large vat of spaghetti Bolognese, chopping up onions and crushing garlic. She lifted the lid to her laptop that her mother had sent her, clicking onto the news station in time to see a piece on her and her father. Sitting down at the breakfast bar as the Bolognese cooked through, Amelia listened with intent as she was told her father's ratings were at an all time low. He was due to make an appearance alongside Daniel in another few minutes.

Amelia's breathing hitched as she saw the two of them on morning TV. But she was more shocked with what she was hearing from him.

"This has gone far enough," he spoke firmly. "My daughter has made her choice and I attempted to make excuses for her…but I see now that she must love the vampire she is with. I cannot pretend to be a perfect man. I have made mistakes in the past. My daughter…she has pushed me in the past and I have lashed out. But is any parent perfect? Is any parent truly a saint?"

"She claims that you have harmed her physically."

"And I regret that," Martin said with a nod. "I should never have done that to her. I did not know how she felt. I did not know how she detested me so. I only wanted the best for her and I…I did not wish to see her with a vampire. I do not trust them, we all know that, but if she is happy with him then so be it. I am extending the olive branch. I want to apologise to her. I want her to know that I wish to see no more pain between us. She is my daughter."

"Bullshit," Amelia snapped, slamming the lid to her laptop shut before slipping down from her seat, wondering just what was going to happen now.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	16. Chapter 16

Godric sat at the breakfast bar, watching the clip that Amelia was playing for him on her laptop. She was stood over his shoulder, one arm over her waist and the other holding her chin. Looking to Godric once the video of her father had finished, she saw him look at her with a mildly entertained expression, his eyes wide and amused.

"He really does know how to work the press, doesn't he?" Godric said and Amelia scoffed, running a hand through her hair as she closed the lid to her laptop and began pacing along the kitchen.

"He's planning something," Amelia said. "He's on the PR offensive, but there is no way he is going to go away quietly. There is no way he is going to let me get away with what I have done. No, he's doing this for a reason."

"I believe so too," Godric nodded. "He knows that if you continue on this vendetta against him then people will see you as ruthless…unwilling to forgive…press hungry."

"I know," Amelia said, opening the fridge and grabbing a bottle of water. She unscrewed the lid and took a sip, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand as she shrugged to Godric. "So I don't know what to do. There is no chance that I am going to let him even apologise to me. Besides, he wouldn't mean it or do it. He's lying."

"Then what do you wish to do?" Godric enquired as he saw her slip down into the chair by the fireplace and he moved to his feet, folding his arms over his chest.

Amelia's legs stretched in front of her and she threw her head back against the headrest. Her eyes closed and she clung onto the cold bottle of water. Her shoulders shrugged up and down before she opened her eyes again and looked to him. A soft sigh escaped her as she chewed down on the inside of her cheek.

"I have no idea," she admitted to him. "I don't know where to go now, Godric. I don't know how to outmanoeuvre him. He's right…I'm not good at this…I don't have the experience that he does. The only thing that I can think of doing is playing along with him and seeing where that gets me, but the thought makes me feel sick."

Godric inclined his head before he heard her cell begin to ring. Amelia moved to her feet, shrugging as she walked by Godric. She picked her cell up from the worktop counter before looking down to who was calling. Amelia frowned before answering the call, placing the device to her ear as Godric listened in.

"Mom?" Amelia wondered in a gentle voice.

"Amelia, darling, I need to meet with you," Marianna urged from her daughter. "When can I see you?"

"What's wrong?" Amelia asked, her voice full of worry. "You're scaring me."

Marianna laughed then, the sound soft and gentle as Amelia frowned, wondering what the hell was going on with her mother.

"No, darling, this is the best I have been in a long time," Marianna promised her. "Tell you what, meet me in an hour at Mason's? You remember that cake shop I used to take you to? They open late now."

"Yeah, okay, fine," Amelia said. "See you then."

"Love you, Amelia."

Marianna hung up and Amelia looked down to the phone. "What the fuck?" she whispered to the device as Godric moved towards her and she looked back to him. "I take it you heard that?"

"Every word," Godric confirmed, his lips pursed. "Do you trust her to go?"

"Yeah," Amelia said without any hesitance. "She is my mother, Godric. She's not like the rest of my family. She would do nothing to hurt me. I know that. Whatever is going on is weird, yeah, but I know that I can trust her."

Godric gave a tight nod. "You know that I will be coming with you, correct?"

"I know."

….

Amelia sat in the booth at Mason's, looking around and remembering when her mother used to sneak her to the cake store when she was a little girl. They would go after school and it was always their little secret. Amelia had told her mother of everything that had happened there. She remembered how she had complained that she hated David Spaniel because he had pulled on her pigtails. She had complained about how she had hated math because she didn't understand. She had asked her mother why no boy had asked her to prom when everyone else had gotten a date. It had been their place.

It felt odd having Godric next to her as the two of them remained seated in the pink coloured booth. There were low hanging chandeliers and the counter consisted entirely of a glass stand of cake. Amelia had ordered a cup of herbal tea for herself and a Tru Blood for Godric, even though he had told her how he didn't need to drink.

It was ten minutes before Marianna turned up and Amelia gaped. Her mother entered the shop and ordered something from the counter before turning to look for Amelia and Godric. Amelia's mouth remained open as Godric kept his arm flung over the back of the booth, his fingers close enough to brush Amelia's shoulder if he wished.

Marianna Jones walked forwards, dressed in a tight fitted black dress which emphasised her curves and sat just below her knee. She held a black bag in her fingers and her hair was loose in curls down her back. Amelia had never seen her mother look so carefree in all of her life.

She stumbled to her feet as Marianna's heels clicked forwards and she beamed widely, wrapping her daughter into her arms and holding onto her tightly. Amelia moved her own arms around her mother, embracing her before pulling back as Marianna squeezed her hands and looked to her.

"You look so healthy, Amelia," Marianna whispered.

"And you look…well…ridiculously hot," Amelia blurted out and Marianna let out a laugh before sitting down in the booth across from Godric and Amelia.

"It is good to see you again, Godric," Marianna said with a soft nod.

"You too," Godric said as he felt the warmth of Amelia's body sit back next to him, her hands reaching for her mug of herbal tea.

"I ordered you some cake to go," Marianna said. "I know you always loved the chocolate fudge cake and the lemon love cake, so I ordered both for you."

"Thanks," Amelia said. "What's going on? Why are you so happy?"

"Because it's over, Amelia," Marianna shrugged her shoulders erratically by her sides as she looked between the two of them. "All of this is over. Your father is finished."

"What?" Amelia blurted out.

Marianna did allow a soft laugh then with a nod of her head. "I know," she said. "I can't believe it either and I know that I should have done it months ago, but I…I was too weak…I'd become too pathetic. I wasn't the woman I used to be, darling. I haven't been her in such a long time. I took back control and I did what I had to do."

"And what did you have to do?" Amelia enquired.

"Amelia…I need you to realise that your father and I…well…we haven't been happy for a lot of years."

Amelia scoffed. "I kind of knew that," she responded.

Marianna nodded. "Well, I…there were times when you were a teenager and I used to sneak off at night and do exactly what you used to do. I used to go and drink and have fun with some old friends who promised to keep secrets. I always made sure I looked unrecognisable. I didn't want your father to get word of where I was going. Anyway, I was at this bar one night and I met this guy."

Amelia gaped once more as Godric felt his lips tug up, unable to stop himself from finding this entire conversation slightly amusing. Amelia looked distraught more than anything else, unable to picture her mother picking up men at bars.

"I am still young, Amelia," Marianna said, scolding her daughter as she saw the look of disbelief etched on her face. "And it turns out we are very much alike…you and I…"

"What do you mean?"

"You're not the only one to have fallen in love with a vampire," Marianna said and Godric felt his amusement increase. "His name was Jack and he was so smooth and gorgeous…you know, blonde hair and blue eyes, six foot and so muscly. Anyway, one thing led to another and we-"

"-I do not need to know!" Amelia interrupted and Marianna laughed loudly, throwing her head back and letting her curls bounce.

"Anyway," she straightened herself out. "We would meet up regularly and I thought that it would just be a bit of fun, but then it turned into something more. He told me he was getting feelings and I said that I was too…but…well…naturally your father found out. He had me followed one night when he grew suspicious."

"I'm not surprised."

"He found out that Jack was a vampire and he threatened…well…you know how he is. He threatened to have Jack staked and divorce me and take you from me…turn you against me…my own little girl," Marianna whispered, hurt appearing in her tone as Godric saw her eyes glimmer. "I stayed with him, of course. I had you to think of. I wasn't going to let him turn you against me, but then I became a woman I didn't even recognise. I became weak. I lost any fight that I had. He broke me and I saw him doing the same to you after Will. I saw it and I didn't know what to do. I didn't think there was anyway out."

"What changed?" Amelia wondered.

"Me," Marianna said with a determined nod of her head. "After I found out what he had done to Will, I swore that this was the end. I waited patiently until I could get what I needed. It took some time, but I got there in the end."

Marianna moved a hand into her bag, pulling out a folder and sliding it across to Godric and Amelia. The two of them looked to it as a waitress brought a box of cake and a cup of tea for Marianna. Amelia read through the folder, her eyes widening as she moved a hand to Godric's thigh out of surprise. She felt the vampire besides her pick her hand up, his fingers entwining with hers as Amelia looked back to her mother who was grinning.

"Locked away in his safe," she nodded. "It's all there…proof of the basement under the house…the formula for Hep V…contracts with various scientists who worked on it. There's also a recording that I had. I…I found out that Daniel had sent two men to inject Godric with Hep V, but I also found out what he had said for them to do…permission to hurt you…"

Marianna gulped and shook her head, letting out a shaky breath before looking to Amelia with a harsh expression. "I recorded the conversation with him when I overheard him on the phone to someone who told him the two men were dead," Marianna said. "I may have slapped him and called him some choice words, but he deserved it. The idea of anyone laying a hand on you…if I had known…"

"They didn't get near me," Amelia said. "Godric saw to that."

"Then I can only thank him once again," Marianna said, her tone sincere. "Amelia, I met with Nan Flanagan and gave her this information an hour ago. The AVL will be using the full force of the law to prosecute your father and Daniel. They have the evidence and I leaked some of the documents and the recording to the press. By morning your father will be in a jail cell."

Amelia covered her mouth, unable to stop as a soft sigh left her mouth and Godric nodded his head slowly, slightly impressed with Marianna Jones. Amelia moved again, scrambling from her seat and moving to sit next to her mother, holding onto her tightly. Marianna clung onto her daughter too, smiling widely as Amelia felt tears form in her eyes.

"I'm only sorry that I couldn't have saved Will," Marianna said to her daughter. "If I had known that he had him…if I had any clue…"

"You weren't to know," Amelia said with a shake of her head, pulling back to look her mother in the eye.

"But I should have done something sooner," Marianna said. "I should have put your first. I should never have been so foolish."

"I don't blame you," Amelia said firmly. "Mom…I love you."

Marianna moved with haste then, grabbing her daughter again and pulling her to her. "I love you too, Amelia. Never forget that I love you and I will do anything for you…anything…"

Godric watched as the two women embraced. He could see that it was like a weight had been lifted from both of their shoulders. It took a few moments before Amelia pulled back, rubbing her eyes as she looked to her mother again.

"So why are you all dressed up?" she asked and Marianna laughed and nodded.

"I…well…I kept Jack's number in my cell all these years," she informed her daughter. "I called him and he…well…he was annoyed that I had kept the reason why I left him a secret, but he said there had been no one else. He is in California, but he's flying to Dallas tonight. I've packed the car and we're just going to go somewhere…anywhere…the two of us and that's why I need to ask you…do you want to come with us?"

Amelia scoffed. "No," she said with a firm shake of her head. "I do not want to go anywhere with you or your vampire lover. Three's a crowd, especially when the third wheel is your own daughter."

"I just want you to be safe, Amelia, and I want to be with you," Marianna said. "I understand you are an adult and you have your own life. The account I set up for you should be enough to help you get a place, but I know you wanted to teach."

"I still do," Amelia nodded. "I don't know…I haven't thought about anything really."

"She can stay with me for as long as she requires," Godric finally spoke, looking to Marianna.

Marianna arched a brow. "You're really taken with her, aren't you?" Marianna mused.

Amelia nudged her mother, but Godric responded.

"It is difficult not to be taken by her," he spoke. "I give you my word, Amelia shall be cared for so long as she requires."

"And is that what you want?" Marianna wondered and Amelia chewed down on her lip before looking to Godric.

"Godric's been a great friend to me," she said, turning back to look to her mother. "I don't intend to take advantage of his hospitality, but I like spending time with him. He's kind and he's always been lovely to me. Besides, it might be nice just to spend some time with a friend who isn't using me." She turned to look back to Godric. "If that's okay?"

"It sounds delightful," Godric said honestly.

Marianna sighed and nodded. "Then that is that," she said. "But I will always be at the end of a phone, okay? If you need anything then you just call me and we stay in touch, alright? I'm not letting a week pass by maximum where we don't talk."

"Sounds good to me," Amelia nodded.

Godric watched as Marianna and Amelia both moved to their feet. Marianna embraced her daughter, smiling to Godric before she pulled a hand through her hair and let out a deep breath and left the two of them. Godric moved to stand besides Amelia, a hand going to her back as she watched her mother leave the shop and climb into her car, start the engine and drive off.

"Are you okay?" Godric asked and Amelia nodded, looking up to him as she leant against his side.

"For once, I actually am."

…..

Returning to the nest, Godric watched as Amelia turned the TV on in the living room and unboxed her cake, placing a slice on a plate and the other slice in the fridge. Grabbing hold of a fork, she slipped her flat shoes off before sitting down next to him on the sofa, her legs curled underneath her as she cut into the chocolate cake and Godric kept his arm lazily draped over the back of the seat.

"God…I used to hate rolling news," Amelia commented, "but now I can't wait for them to break the story about my father and dick of a fiancé."

Godric smirked as he heard her. "I doubt it will take long for them to break the story," he said. "If Nan Flanagan has her way then this will be a major victory for the AVL."

"I bet she is loving it," Amelia said, scoffing her face. "Can you imagine her excitement right now? I don't think I've ever seen her smile before though."

"She doesn't smile often," Godric commented. "Then again, I doubt I would smile too often if I had her job. Being a Sheriff is hard enough as it is."

"What exactly is it that you do?" Amelia wondered. "Apart from rescue damsels in distress from bad vampires in abandoned alleyways?"

The soft look remained on Godric's face. "I never had you down for a damsel."

"Damn right," Amelia said. "But I was that night you came for me."

"Well…everyone needs rescuing now and then," Godric mused. "Regardless, as a Sheriff it is my duty to oversee that everything goes to order in Dallas, which is my area. Any crime is reported to me and me alone. I deal with it as best as I see fit, yet the Magister deals out the punishment. I take those who have committed crimes to him."

"Sounds like a lot of work."

"Some days it can be and other days it is not," Godric said. "I confess, I have asked Isabel to cover some of my role while I have been with you."

"I'm sorry," Amelia said with haste. "I never knew I was taking you away from your job."

"Amelia," Godric calmed her, his voice gentle. "It is quite alright. I would always put you first above my job."

"Do you ever get any time off?" Amelia wondered.

"I am entitled to time away from Area 9," Godric nodded his head.

"Well…I was thinking…" Amelia said. "I've always wanted to travel somewhere else other than Dallas and New York. I know I've got money but I'm not talking luxury travel because I need to save it if I decide to go and train to be a teacher…but maybe a week somewhere other than here might be nice. Besides, it's going to be a media circus now that people know the truth. I'd rather not be hounded by interviewers."

Godric arched a brow as Amelia placed her half eaten cake down on the coffee table and looked to him. He remained bemused for a few moments before nodding his head.

"You are asking me on a vacation?" he wondered.

Amelia laughed then, a carefree noise that Godric had not heard in so long. "I guess so," she said. "Besides, I still have my promise to think of, don't I? So, what do you say? Want to be road trip buddies for a week or so?"

Godric looked amused then as he moved to his feet. "Amelia, I do no do road trips," he said and she looked crestfallen for a moment before he continued. "I do private jets and expensive cars and hotels."

"Godric…I can't afford that-"

"-No, but I can," Godric said to her.

Amelia shook her head with haste. "That's not fair," she said quickly. "I can't ask that of you. This was my idea and I mean motels are-"

"-Not necessary," Godric interrupted her, moving closer until his hand was holding her cheek softly, his fingers caressing her cheekbone. "Amelia, listen to me, I have amassed a great deal of wealth that I have not known how to spend it in so long, nor have I truly known how to enjoy it, but I think, and I hope, that might change. Please, permit me this."

"Godric, I don't want to use you."

Godric let his lips curve. "Amelia, it is I who has been using you for those few weeks we had uninterrupted."

"I wanted to help you," Amelia shook her head. "You never used me."

"Just as you are not using me," Godric said. "Please, I assure you that our stays will be much more comfortable than some cheap motel room and I appreciate your thought more than anything. I can take you anywhere you want. Do not limit yourself to the US."

Her eyes widened then and Godric saw that she seemed to become more excited. "Do you mean it?"

"Of course," he told her. "Where do you want to go?"

Amelia laughed loudly then, shrieking as she moved with haste, her arms wrapping his neck as she launched herself at him. He held her tightly around her waist, a smile stuck on his face as he cradled her against him.

"Anywhere," Amelia said. "I just want to get out of here…try to be happy…both of us being happy."

"I like the sound of that," Godric admitted before he heard the breaking news from the TV.

"News just in, Martin Jones and his campaign manager have just been arrested. The police say it is in connection with crimes against vampires…we don't have anything further at this moment as we are waiting for further comment and reaction from the AVL."

Both of them turned to look to the TV and Godric sat back down with Amelia, keeping an arm wrapped around her as she rested against his side, her head resting just on his shoulder as he looked down to her and she continued to smile. Perhaps he could find a reason to keep going after all.

...

A/N: There's a double update today. Hope you'll let me know what you think!


	17. Chapter 17

Amelia had been right with what she had said. As soon as the following night fell, the media were on the hunt for her. Nan Flanagan had asked her to come and do an interview, but she had declined. Instead she had offered Nan a five minute interview over the phone while she was on the way to the private airbase with Godric. She had packed a duffle bag with everything she had needed and Godric had also packed his own bag after informing Amelia that they would be gone for more than a week.

She had looked bored as she spoke on the interview, often throwing looks to Godric with her tongue stuck out in disgust or her eyes rolling back. Godric had looked entertained as he kept a hand on the wheel and focused on the drive. Once she had finished the interview, she tossed her cell into her satchel and leant back in the seat.

"I take it that was tedious?" Godric asked from her.

"When are interviews not?" she wondered back.

"I suspect Nan Flanagan will simply be happy that she does not have to deal with me for a while," Godric said and Amelia looked to him with a sideways glance, folding her arms into her lap as she leant forwards slightly.

"Do you often piss her off?"

"Not often," Godric said. "I try to keep a low profile. I prefer a quiet existence."

"You haven't had that for a while thanks to me."

"I would not change that," Godric said. "Besides, we are through the worst of it."

"Thank Goodness," Amelia smiled and they lapsed into a comfortable silence.

….

Godric had refused to tell Amelia where they would be going. Instead he had kept it a secret from her, even when they had landed he had watched her try to work it out. He had arranged for a private car to take them to the hotel they would be staying in. Amelia had looked out the window in the night, working out the language of the street signs before she realised where they were. Her eyes widened as she turned to look to Godric who was looking at her with amusement.

"Paris?" she asked from him.

Godric said nothing as he felt her move a hand to grab hold of his arm, her grip tight from excitement as she held onto him.

"Godric, are we in Paris?" she demanded and he nodded.

"Indeed we are," he said to her.

"Oh my God," she squealed and Godric continued to watch her bounce up and down in her seat before she moved closer to him and kissed him on the cheek. "I've always wanted to come to Paris."

"And here you are," Godric said. "Although there are only a few hours until daylight. I will need to rest and no doubt you will feel jetlagged. Feel free to leave the hotel and explore in the sun should you so wish."

"No," Amelia said, looking out the window of the moving car once more. "I will wait until night."

"You do not need to."

"Hey, we came here together," she said and looked at him. "Besides, I'm not going to leave you."

Godric said nothing further as they soon pulled up along a cobbled street outside a large hotel. It was vast and very much like the Hotel Carmilla. There was a valet and someone to collect bags. Godric allowed them to take their bags as he climbed from the car and Amelia did the same, allowing Godric to take hold of her, his hand on the small of her back as he guided her into the large lobby, covered in marble floors with a winding staircase leading upstairs. There were water features on either side with intricate statues.

"Oh my God," Amelia whispered and Godric chuckled.

"I will go and check in," he whispered down to her. "Wait here."

"Oh, I am not going anywhere," Amelia said, spinning on the spot and looking around.

It was only when she moved to stand still did she feel hands on her shoulders before she bumped into someone. Her smile remained on her face as she laughed once and held an apologetic hand up.

"Sorry," she said, looking to the tall man with dark brown hair as he stood before her. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Clearly not," he responded with an arched brow and in a British accent, looking down at her with amusement. "However, I must ask…what is a good looking girl like you doing in a hotel like this?"

"Oh, I'm with someone," Amelia said.

"Hmm," he mused, "and what a lucky vampire he must be. I have to say that you smell ravenous."

"He'll be here in a second," Amelia said and began to move past, but the vampire grabbed her by the arm, stopping her from going any further as he moved a hand up to brush her hair from her neck, bending down and inhaling her scent as she recoiled from him.

"Get the hell away from me," she demanded in a harsh voice.

"Do you think he wouldn't mind sharing?" he wondered from her.

"Excuse me," Amelia huffed, "but he is not my owner. I am my own person and believe me, I would not go anywhere near someone like you."

That seemed to anger him and Amelia saw his nostrils flare as she tried to pull her arm from his grip. But she had no need to fret. His hand was off of hers in an instant, a body stood in front of her as she saw the back of Godric. He held onto the vampire's wrist in mid-air, his fangs bared and his gaze narrow.

"She's mine," Godric snarled. "Do you understand me?"

The man nodded his head and huffed before Godric pushed him away, watching him stumble back a few paces. He let his fangs retract, offering the man one final glare before looking to Amelia and holding his hand out. She didn't waste any time in taking hold of it, letting him pull her away and to the spiralling staircase. Walking up it and to the first floor, Godric pressed the button to the elevators that started on that level.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Amelia said with a nod of her head. "Thanks…for that…"

"Of course," Godric inclined his head. "He should never have laid a finger on you."

"Yeah, well," Amelia shrugged. "I forgot how some vampires could be."

"And they wonder why humans fear us," Godric mused.

"Hey," Amelia said, tugging on his hand and bringing his gaze back to her. "Not all of them are like that. You know that and I know that."

"I fear we are very far and few between," Godric informed her.

"Yeah…well…I know you," Amelia said as the elevator approached and the doors opened. They stepped inside and rode the elevator in silence, Amelia still aware that she had her hand inside of his. She didn't bother to remove her fingers, instead she kept hold of his hand as they left the elevator on the sixth floor and Godric led her down a corridor of plush carpet and beige walls.

Unlocking a door, he pushed the wood open and allowed Amelia to enter first. Their bags had already been brought up and placed in the two separate bedrooms leading off from the sitting area. Amelia's eyes widened as she moved through the room, kicking her shoes off and letting her tight covered feet sink into the plush, brown carpet. Godric locked the door behind him and watched Amelia move over to the balcony, throwing the doors open and stepping out onto the small stone balcony.

"Wow," Amelia whispered, looking into the distance where she could see the Eiffel Tower.

Moving a hand to her chest, she felt Will's ring around her neck as she thought about all of the times they had said they would visit Europe together. Closing her eyes for a second, a sad smile formed on her lips as she wondered what he would say if he could see her now. She hoped that he would be happy. She felt sadness. Of course she did. She felt sad that he couldn't be with her.

But then she felt Godric move to stand next to her. Turning her gaze to him, he looked down and noticed her holding the ring and he nodded.

"He would be proud," Godric said to her.

Amelia scoffed. "I don't know if he would be proud," she said to him. "I didn't really do anything…no…I just hope that he would be happy."

"I am certain that he could be both," Godric promised her and she smiled to him.

"I hope so," she said.

They went silent for a moment before sitting down on the wooden bench along the balcony, looking into the night. Godric moved inside and brought out a glass and the bottle of wine from the small fridge. He stood for a moment and poured Amelia a glass of white wine before placing the bottle down on the floor and handing her the glass.

"Wine?" she wondered. "How fancy."

"I informed them that I would be staying with a human. Apparently human's like alcohol."

"Hmmm," Amelia mused as she sipped on the liquid. "Well, this human wouldn't say no."

She held the glass in her hands as Godric sat down next to her. He felt her rest against him, stretching her legs out along the bench as he moved his arm to rest over the back of it. He watched her for a few seconds as she closed her eyes.

"Have you ever been to Paris?" Amelia asked as he felt himself breathing alongside her, his front pressed against her back as he lifted his hand up from the back of the bench and move his fingers into her hair, softly running his hand through it.

"A few times," Godric said. "There is not much of the world I have not seen."

"And do you like Paris?" Amelia wondered, keeping her eyes closed as she felt herself relax as Godric moved his fingers through her hair.

"I…I did," Godric said with a nod of his head. "I was last here with Nora in 1908…both of us had agreed to meet together after she had spent time in England. I remember walking through the streets and listening to her awe. She was still such a young vampire and she felt no resentment in me turning her. She was looking forward to her future. She was excited about what she might be able to do in the future."

"Where is she now?"

"I believe she is working for the Authority," Godric told her. "It is a vampire body."

"I have heard of them," Amelia nodded her head, taking another sip of her wine. "And is she like your other progeny?"

Godric chuckled. "Not in the slightest," he told her. "Eric is very much a different person to Nora. He is brash…snarky…arrogant at times."

Amelia wrinkled her nose and leaned her head back to look up to Godric. "So why did you turn him?"

Godric continued to look amused at hearing her. "Because I saw something in him," he said to her. "He was a fearless warrior and I thought him worthy…I had watched him for a while and I could not let him die. But Eric has changed. He is all of those things, but he is also unwaveringly loyal to me. He pretends to be crueller than he is."

"Sounds charming," Amelia muttered. "And what does he think of humans?"

"Let us just say that his tolerance is not as great as mine," Godric informed her. "But there is a lot of goodness inside of him. I confess, I made him the vampire that he is today. I raised him, but he does not think how I now do. I do not even think as a vampire anymore."

"Yeah, I know," Amelia agreed with him. "You're not exactly like any other vampire I know. You…you're very human."

"I try," Godric nodded. "I have grown sympathetic towards humans as the years have gone on, which made me think of all of the human lives that I destroyed when I was younger…all those lives that I ripped away…our existence here is insanity and yet…I think that I have evolved, but then I see how vampires still act…that man in the lobby…and I see that we have not evolved. We have not evolved in the slightest."

"But look at humans," Amelia said, taking another drink of her wine before sitting up and placing the glass down on the floor next to her. "How many wars have humans seen? Yet we keep on fighting…we keep on killing…it is not only vampires that have not evolved. Humans are guilty too, Godric."

"I know," Godric said with a nod of his head. "I suspect that I have just grown disillusioned with it all, Amelia. I know that I shall be punished for what I have done when I pass."

"No," Amelia said with haste, moving to grab hold of his hands inside of her owns. "How can you think that?"

"Because I am a monster," Godric whispered to her.

"I don't see a monster," Amelia said with haste. "Godric, you have tried to put things right…what you did in the past…I do not pretend to know, but I know the vampire sat in front of me now and I know that he is good."

"Thank you." Godric said to her. "But I do not think that I can erase all of the bad things, Amelia. I killed for sport. I hunted. I murdered. I tortured people. I was evil. I was a monster. I do not think I deserve pity when I pass. I do not deserve forgiveness. I deserve to be punished."

Amelia felt her eyes grow wet as she heard him speak to her. Moving slowly, Godric dared to move and press his hand to her cheek, his fingers stroking her skin slowly as he let a small smile form on his face at the sight of her.

"Do not weep for me, Amelia," he urged from her.

"How can I not?" she wondered from him. "Do you not see? I do not want you to go, Godric. I do not want you to go or leave."

"I have no intention of going anywhere anytime soon," Godric said to her. "I told you this, Amelia. I am content with you right now."

"Right now?" Amelia wondered as Godric moved, slipping his jacket from his shoulders as he saw her turn cold, her bare arms prickling up. He draped the material over her shoulders as he continued to watch her.

"Yes, right now."

"But…you're saying that you won't always be content with me?" Amelia wondered of him.

"Amelia, I cannot expect you to pander to me. I am not your child to care for. I cannot ask you to live a life solely around me…keeping me entertained so that I can stay alive. Eventually you will move on. You will have your own life…marry…have children…and yes, while I do not doubt our friendship, you will have other priorities. I know that."

"But do you not see how that makes me feel?" Amelia demanded from him, clinging onto the lapels of his jacket that she kept over her shoulders. "I care for you, Godric…and…maybe one day I will move on…maybe one day I won't, but if you are saying that…if…you…if you think that I am the only thing keeping you here right now…then…"

"I know," Godric spoke with a nod of his head. "It is selfish and I am aware of that. You are the only thing that has kept me from going to the Fellowship and I am aware how that sounds, Amelia. I am aware that it puts weight on your shoulders, but I do not want that for you. I want you to know that when the time comes…I will also be ready to move on from this."

"No!" Amelia snapped loudly. "I don't want you to move on, Godric."

"I do not want to yet," Godric promised her. "But there will be a time in the future, and I do not know when that time will be, when I am ready, but it will be a time when both of us are ready."

"I will never be ready," Amelia said forcefully.

"You will move on one day," Godric promised her. "However, we will not discuss this further. I have brought you here to celebrate…not to see you cry."

"It's difficult not to cry when you keep thinking about going," Amelia sniffed and Godric stood up, holding his hand down to her as Amelia sniffed loudly and Godric continued to watch her.

"I am not thinking about it now," Godric said. "All that I am thinking about it stopping you from crying and making you smile like you have been doing."

"See?" Amelia demanded from him. "Why do you think you are so bad when you do nothing but put other people first?"

"Amelia…you are the only one I have allowed close enough to see me like this in the past four hundred years," Godric admitted to her. "I have closed myself off. I did not think anyone could come close to me again. People had used me…used my wealth…but you…you showed me that there was someone out there who, for some unknown reason, cared about me just for who I am."

"You think I don't feel the same?" Amelia wondered, moving to her feet without taking his hand. "Godric, I told you things I have only told Will and you've not once done anything but offer me support. You've…my other friends used me for who my father was. My own fiancé was simply with me because he wanted to use me for political gain. You and Will…you're the only ones who have ever spoken to me like you wanted to know me and not my father."

"Then the other people are fools," Godric said to her. "But their loss is my gain, isn't it?"

Amelia moved with haste then, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding tightly onto him as Godric held her back. Closing his eyes, he thought about how it would feel to have this feeling every day. How would it feel to wake up and hold Amelia close to him? How would it feel to protect her and care for her with every breath he had?

Snaking his arms around her, Godric moved a hand up her back, cupping the back of her head as she rested her cheek against the hollow base of his throat. Godric let his cheek move down to rest on top of her head.

"Come here," Godric whispered, pulling back after a moment, moving to cup her cheeks and wipe away her tears. "I do not want to think of this anymore, Amelia. I want to see you happy."

"I want you to be happy too."

"And I find that I am," Godric promised, a slim smile on his face as he spoke to her and continued to stroke her cheeks. "You have made me happy, Amelia. You and no one else and, for that, I thank you terribly."

"Likewise," Amelia said. "I didn't think that I'd be happy again after Will…dare to be happy…but he…he just wouldn't want me to mope around or pine. Of course I will always love him and I don't know when I will be able to move on, but I'm not going to stop living. He would have hated that."

"He would not have been the only one," Godric said to her.

Amelia managed a soft smile before moving to peck him on the cheek. "Thank you for bringing me here," she said to him.

"It is my pleasure," Godric told her. "Come, we need rest."

Amelia followed Godric back into the suit, closing the door behind her and lowering the blinds to keep the sunlight out. She moved a hand to the ring around her neck as she nodded. She had to move on. She owed it to Will to keep living.

…..

Walking along the Seine besides Godric, Amelia had found herself talking about everything and nothing with the two thousand year old vampire. The two of them had broken into fits of laughter often, attracting stares from passers by. Godric had shown her the Eiffel Tower and had watched as she ate a crepe, perched on a bench and salivating over the fine taste of the food.

They had decided to walk along the river back towards the hotel. Amelia had to confess that she was still jet lagged and Godric had promised her an interesting night out the following evening, choosing to keep the details to himself. It was only as they approached a noise did Amelia's brows furrow and Godric felt the cell in his jean pocket begin to vibrate. Pulling it out, he looked to see that Eric was calling.

"Is that a string quartet?" Amelia wondered as she heard the soft music and people gathered around, clapping once they had finished playing one piece.

"I believe so," Godric said. "Amelia, I shall be there momentarily. I just have to take this call."

"Okay," Amelia smiled back to him and moved closer to the playing band.

Godric kept his distance before answering the call, a smile on his face as he saw Amelia stand near the back of the crowd, people in front of her dancing while others chose to watch.

"My child," Godric greeted Eric down the phone.

"What is going on, Godric?" Eric wondered from his maker. "I just tried to call your nest and Isabel informed me she was covering your role and you're in Paris?"

"Indeed," Godric said to Eric. "I have taken a vacation. It has been a long time since I have seen something other than Texas."

"A vacation?" Eric said, the word sounding foreign to him. "You're with that human, aren't you? You know that the press are having a field day about her father, don't you?"

"I am aware," Godric said. "That is why we have left, Eric. We left the media circus. Amelia did not wish to be part of it any longer. Justice has been done."

Eric scoffed. "And since when did you care about what a human wanted?" he asked of his maker. "I don't understand this, Godric. Humans are food and you taught me that. What makes this one so special? Why are you so concerned with her?"

"I have told you, Eric," Godric said. "Amelia is a friend of mine…"

"You told me that you were beginning to feel more than friendship for her," Eric reminded his maker. "And what about her boyfriend?"

"He passed on," Godric said. "But that does not mean that I am permitting my feelings for Amelia to develop. I am aware that she sees me as a friend and I value her greatly."

"I'm worried," Eric admitted to Godric. "I'm worried about you and what you're saying, Godric. She…she is just a human…just food…"

"Perhaps one day you will understand, my child," Godric said in a soft voice, "but humans are not so different to us. We were human once, remember? Besides, Amelia is…she makes me happy, Eric. I have not felt like this in a very long time. She has shown me the joy in simple things…the joy I see in her face…it…she…she makes me happy. I just want this feeling for a few fleeting moments in a vampire's life."

"I should meet her," Eric said.

"You would scare her away."

"Then perhaps she is not tough enough?"

"Oh, she is certainly tough enough," Godric responded. "I just know how you can be, my child."

"If I promise to be nicer than usual?"

"I do not think that you can be," Godric said, "and even if you were, you would still be brash."

"I still want to meet her."

"And you shall," Godric said, "if you so wish. I just need you to promise me that you will not be cruel to her."

"Hm."

"That was not an agreement," Godric said.

"Fine," Eric snapped. "I'll be nicer than usual to the human. I just want to meet her."

"Then I shall contact you when I return to Dallas," Godric said. "For now, Eric, I must go."

Godric let his eyes move over to Amelia as he saw her tapping her foot, her arms folded over her chest as her head tilted to the side. She kept her gaze on the string quartet and Godric smiled at the sight of her.

"I shall speak with you when you return."

"Yes, you shall," Godric said. "Take care, my child."

"You too, Godric."

Godric pocketed his cell and tugged at the sleeves to his long blue shirt he wore. He rolled them up to his elbows and finally stood next to Amelia. Moving a hand to the small of her back, he caught her attention and saw her look up to him, a beam on her face.

"Everything okay?" she enquired from him.

"Perfect," Godric said with a nod of his head. "Care to dance?"

Amelia's eyes widened and she almost looked horrified. Holding a hand up, she shook her head. "I told you I couldn't dance."

"And I told you that I would take you dancing," Godric responded to her. "Come on, I won't bite if you step on my feet."

"I am terrible," she warned him.

"Luckily for you, I am not," he teased her once more and moved in front of her, holding a hand in front of him as the crowd continued to watch the other dancing couples on the footpath. Amelia rolled her eyes and let her lips quirk before reluctantly unfolding her hands and letting one move into Godric's.

He walked backwards into the couples, seeing them part to make room. He moved with haste, twirling Amelia under his arm, her dress riding up her thighs as he kept her arm in the air and heard her laugh loudly and carefree once she was facing him again. Godric continued to smile as he kept hold of her hand in the air, his other hand going to the small of her back as she took hold of his shoulder.

"Just follow my lead," Godric said to her and began moving around, his feet quick and hasty as Amelia continued to look down, wondering where her feet were off as she tried not to step on him. "Look at me," Godric urged from her. "You can concentrate better if you keep your gaze set on me."

"I doubt that," Amelia snorted.

She moved her gaze to him though as she finally stepped on his foot and Godric chuckled. "You are terrible," he mused. "Perhaps this was not the best idea."

"I did warn you."

"You did," Godric nodded to her as he moved to twirl her under his arm once more. "Perhaps I should teach you when there are no other people to injure. You appear to be a walking hazard."

"Hey," Amelia complained, moving to swat his shoulder as he chuckled and led her back to the crowd of people, dropping his hand from her waist and back. His other hand let go of hers as they stood in the crowd.

"Were you ever musical?" Amelia wondered from Godric, keeping her voice low so that they could listen.

"Not entirely," Godric said. "I never really tried to learn an instrument."

"I tried the piano once but I was terrible," Amelia informed him. "I was so bad that I couldn't keep going."

"Is there anything you are good at?" Godric taunted her.

Amelia's eyes widened as she looked amused, a brow arched as she tilted her head up to look to him. "Wow, someone is being rude tonight," she taunted him and he laughed once with a nod of his head.

"Simply teasing you," he responded. "I have not done that in so long."

"I do not miss it," she said as the band finished and everyone clapped and placed money into the open violin case. Amelia tossed in ten euros before looking to Godric. "Ready to go?"

"If you wish," Godric said.

They fell into step besides each other and Godric felt Amelia move her hand into his arm, holding onto it as he looked down to her. He said nothing, but he did extend his arm slightly, allowing for her to hold onto it easier, his other hand moving across his own body to take hold of her hand on his arm. The two of them ambled along in a comfortable silence, holding onto each other and in their own bubble.

They were completely unaware that they were being watched.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	18. Chapter 18

Amelia shifted around as she tugged the dress onto her body. She had tried to do her hair as best as possible, but every time she tugged it into a bun, wisps of it flew straight back out. She sighed loudly and rolled her eyes; quitting with her hair and leaving it to hang freely down her back in soft waves. She had tried to tug up the zip to the green dress she owned, but it was proving difficult. She couldn't deny that she had been eating a tonne of junk food recently.

She finally got there after breathing in, along with the help of control underwear as she finished off. She looked at herself in the mirror, noting how her sleeves went down to her elbows and the plain green material fell flat down her stomach. She let out a deep breath and slipped into her flat black shoes after Godric had told her to wear comfortable shoes for the evening.

She walked out into the suite to find him already waiting for her. He looked smarter than usual, a white shirt tucked into dark pants and a suit jacket over it. He seemed paler than usual too, but Amelia would pull him up on that when they returned from whatever evening Godric had planned. His lips seemed to lift into a soft smile as soon as he saw her enter the sitting room.

"You look lovely," he commented and Amelia pulled on her dress and waved a hand.

"Ah, this old thing," she joked with him before reaching for her bag and slinging it over her body. "So where are we going?"

"You shall see," Godric told her. "If you are ready we can leave now."

"I am pretty much done," Amelia shrugged.

She walked alongside Godric down the Parisian streets, lapsing into comfortable conversation with him about how amazing everything had been and they had only been there a day. Godric had regaled her with stories about his previous time in Paris and how things had changed before telling her of other countries he had visited.

"And we are almost here," Godric said after a ten minute walk and Amelia saw a familiar looking glass pyramid that had risen from the ground. Her mouth gaped as Godric chuckled at the sight of her and nodded his head as she pointed to it. "I have booked the entire Louvre for the evening…for just us to explore at our own leisure and pace."

"No!" Amelia gushed loudly. "Godric, that's amazing! That must have cost a fortune."

"Perhaps," he responded. "However, I believe that it is worth it."

Godric let Amelia walk in front of him, taking the escalators down to the entrance. The manager was there to personally welcome them and Godric greeted him warmly, introducing him to Amelia. They had to have a quick security check and the manager said that he would be around alongside other staff who were working overnight. Amelia could hardly believe it as she walked along the wooden floors, looking to the pieces of art that hung on the walls.

Godric would often point to paintings, telling her if he remembered things from a particular era that the painting was depicting. He told her of some of the artists he had met during his time in the past, alongside telling her of stories he knew about the history of the paintings. Amelia listened in awe, the two of them ambling slowly through the corridors and she wondered if she had ever heard Godric sound so excited before.

On more than one occasion she had found herself staring up at him as he spoke, seeing a sparkle in his eye that she had rarely seen before. He would look to the paintings with fondness and Amelia knew that he was happy, despite her concerns. She knew that, right here and right now, Godric was at his happiest when he was with her.

"Am I boring you?" Godric had asked when he had caught her looking at him, a seemingly far away gaze in her eye.

She shook her head and ran a hand down his shoulder, catching his fingers in hers as she gave them a squeeze. "On the contrary," she said in a soft voice, "this is the best time I've had in a while."

Godric smiled and was about to let his fingers go loose, but Amelia kept her grip in his and he looked down to their entwined fingers. He didn't bother dropping her hand, instead he kept her hand inside of his as he continued to walk with her, going back to telling her everything that he knew about the paintings.

…

Sitting with Amelia, Godric had insisted that she dine on the local cuisine, despite her insisting that she was fine. She had relented in the end, letting him drag her to a small bistro and ask for a table outside by the street. There were other couples there, dining and drinking together as though there was no one else there. Amelia allowed the waiter to pull out her metal chair and she sunk down into the seat, folding her legs under the table as Godric sat across from her.

He spoke in fluent French as he ordered a glass of wine and a Tru Blood, allowing Amelia to gaze over the menu as their drinks were brought to them. She looked over to him as she peered at the food.

"Godric, I feel bad eating while you just sit there."

Godric shrugged. "You need to eat, Amelia," he said to her. "Besides, we can still converse."

"Only if you're sure?"

"Positive," Godric said in a gentle voice to her. "Order whatever you wish."

"I have to say, the three cheese soufflé is sounding terribly appealing right now…maybe with some boulangère potatoes as a side."

"If that is what you so wish," Godric said with a nod of his head.

"I think it is," she said and closed the menu before smiling over to him. "Thank you for tonight, Godric. I really do mean it when I say that it was one of the best times I have ever had…it was stunning, really."

"I am glad you enjoyed it," Godric said to her. "I had hoped that you would."

"I loved it, truly," Amelia said with a soft smile. "You didn't have to do that for me. In fact, you don't have to do half of the things that you do for me. I mean, it really does mean a lot to me. You know that, right?"

"I know," Godric promised her in a gentle whisper.

They lapsed into silence for a few moments as Amelia was served her wine and Godric his Tru Blood. A few stares were attracted then as they realised a vampire was sat around them, but no one bothered them. Godric did not make a scene, nor did he listen in as people spoke of how they rarely saw vampires out in public. But Godric knew how to co-exist. They had no need to fear him so long as they did not intrude upon his life.

Amelia took a sip of her wine and then placed it back down, tucking her hair behind her ears before looking down to the table. "I know that we have only been travelling for a few days," she said to Godric in a gentle voice, "but I have been thinking about the future and I know that eventually I am going to have to return to Dallas."

"We both will," Godric said.

"And that's the thing," Amelia admitted to him. "I know that Dallas is my home, but I don't want to go back home...where I lived. I've been thinking about applying for a teaching education program in Dallas. I just think…well…I should find somewhere else to live."

"I see," Godric mused.

"But that's the thing," Amelia said in a gentle voice. "If I go to college then I would be leaving you. I would have to move out and…probably…go back into a shared flat to save money."

"Amelia, you do not need to concern yourself with me," Godric said.

She scoffed at hearing him. "That's the thing, Godric," she said. "I do concern myself with you and if I leave you and find out that you're thinking about going through with your plan then I…well…I'd feel guilty, even if you told me that I had no need to feel guilty. So, that is why I propose we come up with a plan."

Godric arched a brow, looking intrigued as she spoke. "And what plan would this be?"

"Well, we talk every night," she said, "and I know you get weekends off and can fly pretty quickly, and I can drive…so we meet as often as possible."

Godric nodded his head. "Of course, there is one other possibility," he said to her with a shrug of his shoulders. "You do not need to move out to train. You can stay with me at the nest."

Amelia shook her head with haste as the waiter returned to take their order. Godric ordered fluently for her and Amelia did her best to think of what he had just said to her. He had just asked her to stay with him. Once the waiter had gone, Godric looked back to her, his brow arched as he remained intrigued with what she was going to say.

"Godric, I can't do that," she spoke, her voice soft and low.

"Why not?" Godric wondered from her. "My nest is big enough."

"But Stan and Isabell live with you," she said. "And I have already taken advantage…not to mention that I am going to be attending lessons during the day if I do this. That would be until I qualify and I can see if I can I teach at night school."

"It would not bother us," Godric said. "We are dead during the day and have our own confined rooms. This way you would be saving money and have a quiet space to study in during the day. Plus, you would be saving money."

"And taking advantage," Amelia responded, sipping on her wine as she continued to look to him. "Godric, it is a kind offer-"

"-It is what I want," Godric said, interrupting her in a soft voice. "Amelia, I want you to stay with me until you are ready to move out and move on. I want you to understand that this might be good for you. You…well…you needn't worry about bills or accommodation, only on your studies."

Amelia bit down on her lip. She had to admit that it sounded like a lovely idea. The thought of staying with Godric was one that she took comfort with. She could not deny that she had grown closer to the two thousand year old vampire. She enjoyed spending time with him and, as selfish as she felt, the idea of returning after a day studying to Godric, a home cooked meal and bad TV filled her with joy. She liked the idea of having someone to look out for her. But this would allow her to look out for him too.

"If," Amelia said, holding a finger up, "and I mean if, I do stay with you, then I want to pay rent."

"Amelia, that is not necessary-"

"-Yes, it is," Amelia said. "I want to pay my way. You have bills and stuff."

"I can take care of them."

"Godric, this is one condition if I do stay," Amelia said.

"Then I suspect I will have to accept it," he said to her with a soft nod.

"But I don't think that Isabel and Stan would be happy…especially Stan," Amelia said. "I know what he thinks about humans. He hates us. He detests what we are."

Godric shook his head. "I shall deal with Stan," he promised her. "Do not allow Stan to deter you. He is barely in the nest except for during the day. He likes to spend his nights going out with his friends. He…he is not like me at all, but he will do nothing to harm you."

"Well…that makes me feel a little better," Amelia said, shifting in her seat. "Anyway, it was just a thought I had, Godric. I haven't applied for any course and I haven't done anything but think about what I want in the future, but I just know that I want to train to teach. It was what I had always dreamed of."

"Then make it a reality," Godric urged from her. "When we return to Dallas you can think of applying for the next course start date. I think that you would make an excellent teacher, Amelia."

"Really?" Amelia wondered in a slightly nervous tone.

"Really," Godric said with a nod of his head. "You have a passion for literature and it shines through. Plus, you are kind and patient. You will make an excellent teacher."

"And I still want to teach night classes," Amelia said to Godric, enthusiasm passing through her as she thought of the future. "I know that it will be daunting to begin with, but I think that I would prefer it."

"I think it is a perfect idea," Godric said to her.

The pair of them lapsed into conversation about other things then, discussing everything from books to how Amelia had a love for corny musical films. Godric listened as she ate, speaking in between mouthfuls of food as she enjoyed the taste of the local cuisine. She finished everything and Godric paid, despite Amelia protesting that she had the bill covered. She had watched him move to his feet as the waiter bid them a goodnight and he had offered her his arm. She took hold of it, smiling as she let her fingers wrap around his muscular forearm, holding onto him gently as they wandered back to the hotel. Amelia leaned her weight against Godric, feeling a sense of tiredness taking hold of her as Godric looked down to her.

"Are you okay?" he wondered from her.

"Just tired," Amelia said with a gentle yawn. "I think I might still be jetlagged."

"Well, you can sleep for a while when you get back," he said to her. "I need to call Isabel and make sure that everything is running smoothly back in Dallas."

"Sounds good," Amelia told him.

Godric moved her hand from his arm, daring to wrap his limb around her waist, holding her close by his side as she wrapped her own arm around him. Godric inhaled her familiar scent before they came to the hotel, the pair of them walking up the spiral staircase before Godric pressed the button to the lift.

Wandering down and back to the room, Amelia let Godric unlock it with the key card, pushing the door open. Amelia wandered in and slipped her shoes off before looking to Godric.

"I'm just going to change," she said. "I know you have business to attend to so I can just stay in my room? I was just going to read before falling to sleep."

"No, it is fine," Godric said to her. "Come and read in the sitting room. I will just be on the phone."

"Okay," Amelia nodded, "I will be back in a moment."

Amelia opened the door to her bedroom, flicking the light on and illuminating the room. She startled then as she looked into the bedroom, her eyes widening as she did her best to comprehend what she was seeing.

"Godric," Amelia said, her voice shaky as she looked into the room.

Godric was by her side in a second, his eyes looking over her shoulder and into her room. He moved by her and into the space, using his vampire speed to look around, making sure that there was no one there. Amelia saw Godric come to stand in front of her, his hands moving to her upper arms and holding them tightly as her own hands went to his forearms and she shook her head.

"Who would have done this?" she asked from him, her voice low and shaky.

"I do not know," Godric said to her with haste. "I need to get you to a different room, Amelia. I am going to find out who has done this."

"They trashed my room," Amelia said. "Someone has been in here and trashed my room. What were they looking for?"

"I don't know," Godric said, "but I need to get you out of here, Amelia. Please…just come with me…"

Amelia turned away from her room, the sight of her clothes strewn everywhere and her books ripped, pages from pages, enough to make her feel sick. Someone had been looking at her things. Someone had been looking at her private things. She felt sick as she let Godric guide her from the suite and down to the reception. She kept her hand in his as he demanded to speak with the manager. It was only a few minutes before the manager showed her face. Her face was stern and her hair tied up into a tight bun as she looked to the two in front of her. She wore a grey skirt suit and her fingers were covered in rings.

"How can I help you, Sheriff Godric?" she wondered, her French accent shining through, knowing to address Godric with respect.

"Can we talk in private?" Godric asked.

"Of course," she said. "Follow me to my office."

Amelia and Godric followed the woman behind the reception desk and through a door into a corridor. They entered her office and she offered them a seat while she went to sit behind a large mahogany desk, a name plaque on the desk informing them that her name was Rachel Perry.

"How can I help you?" she asked from Godric.

"Someone has been in my hotel rom," Godric informed her. "I believe that there may have been a security breach, Miss Perry. What I wish to know is how it happened."

"A breach?" Rachel echoed back, shaking her head. "That is impossible. We take our guest's security very seriously."

"I do not doubt it," Godric said with a firm nod. "However, my friend's room has been trashed. Someone has been in there and destroyed it. We are not making this up, Miss Perry. I wish to see the security footage to see who it was. I also wish for us to have a different suite."

"Of course," Rachel nodded sternly, knowing exactly who she was speaking with. Godric was one of the hotel's well established guests. "I shall have a member of staff go to your old suite and gather your belongings and take them to a new one. I have control over the security footage. Can I ask when you think this might have taken place?"

"We left the hotel at just gone seven," Godric said.

Rachel nodded and moved over to a line of cabinets, pulling the doors open to reveal state of the art TVs. Amelia stood up with Godric, fear still coursing through her body as she looked to the screens besides him, her hand moving to clutch onto his, holding tightly onto his as he moved a thumb over her knuckles, stroking them softly. She realised that, in their haste, she had forgotten her shoes, her feet covered only in her tights.

"What room are you in?" she wondered.

"519," he responded.

She nodded and zoomed in on their corridor. It took her a few minutes before she paused it, the sight of someone outside of their room enough to make Amelia's stomach churn. She looked closer at the man in the picture, but there could be no identifying him, even when she did zoom in. He wore some type of boiler suit, a cap on his head and covering his blond hair.

"How did he get access?" Godric asked, seeing him insert the key into their door and Godric felt a slight amount of rage inside of him.

"We had some people in the hotel doing work…but they had credentials," she said with haste. "I will go to reception. The people have to sign in and out. They get key cards that are universal and open any door because they do work in multiple rooms, but they are always from companies we trust…"

"Well, whoever this is cannot be trusted," Godric said. "I want to know who he is."

"I will look into it," Rachel said and Godric respected her no nonsense attitude. "Please, allow me to give you a key to another suite. Your things will be brought there as soon as possible."

Amelia felt Godric's grip tighten on her hand as he nodded curtly. Following Rachel back to reception, she spoke in French to the woman behind the desk as Godric stood on the other side, listening intently as he felt Amelia press herself closer to him, her body shaking as he looked down to her and moved his arm back to her waist, feeling her front press against his as she held his shoulders and he ran a hand down the small of her back.

"It appears that he had all of the credentials from the electric company we use," Rachel said. "He said his name was John Pierre, but I doubt that is true. I am going to call the electric company and find out who this is."

"As you say," Godric said. "I wish to be informed as soon as you have news."

"Of course, sir," she said. "In the meantime, I have placed you in a room on the sixth floor. 673. You and your companion should be comfortable there. If there is anything you require, please let me know and I shall deal with it instantly."

"I am certain we shall be fine, thank you." Godric spoke politely and took the key card from her.

Godric and Amelia left then, both of them wandering back to the lift. They rode the elevator in silence and wandered to the new room. Their possessions were already there, packed neatly in their bags and Amelia was about to ask how, but then she remembered vampire speed. She saw Godric close and lock the door as she sat down on the edge of the sofa, clutching her hands together.

"Who would do this?" she wondered from Godric, looking to him as he pulled his jacket from his body and wrapped it over her shoulders. "Who would want to do this?"

"I have my suspicions," Godric told her.

"I know," Amelia mused, holding his jacket tighter around her body as he sat down next to her. "I just don't know how. The last I heard…he had been released on bail, but he was going to face trial. What would he want with me, Godric? What would my father want with me now? I don't understand."

"Nor do I," Godric said to her.

"Unless it is Daniel?" Amelia wondered. "God knows that he detests me. He always thought that I was nothing but a slut and he blamed me for everything. Unless it is both of them?"

"I don't know," Godric admitted, "but I will find out. I promise you, Amelia."

"I'm in a different country!" Amelia snapped, feeling herself breaking from fear. "How can they still be getting to me when I am in a different country and they are in trouble with the law? How is this possible? I don't know…I don't know, Godric."

"Come here," Godric urged from her, moving to take her into his arms, holding onto her as both of his arms wrapped around her and she let her hands move to cling onto his forearms. She closed her eyes as Godric cradled her to him. "We will get to the bottom of this, Amelia. Whoever did this will not get away with it. I will see to it. I promise you."

Amelia nodded against him, exhaling a sharp breath as Godric continued to hold onto her, slowly trying to comfort her as he dared to press his lips to the top of her head. Amelia felt the motion and shuddered, closing her eyes as she let her head rest against the vampire's neck, her body tightly to his. It was at least twenty minutes before she had to let go of him, the phone in the room ringing loudly and persistently.

Perching on the edge of the sofa and holding Godric's jacket tightly to her body, she bowed her head and closed her eyes. Godric spoke in hushed tones down the phone, his anger apparent before he hung up, slamming the phone down. Amelia watched him turn back to her, his hands on his hips.

"Whoever that man was knocked out the real John Pierre. He was found in an alleyway a few streets from her. His van and credentials had gone missing and whoever had gotten to him had glamoured him and left bite marks in his neck."

"A vampire," Amelia whispered and Godric nodded, seeing the fear that now sat in her eyes at the thought of a vampire coming after her.

"You need to remember that I am one of the oldest vampires on this earth, Amelia," Godric urged from her. "I am strong enough to take on whatever comes for you."

"Not when you refuse to drink," Amelia retorted. "Godric, you hardly touch Tru Blood and you haven't had human blood since I fed you."

"I have plenty to keep me going."

Amelia huffed and moved to her feet. "My father and Daniel hate vampires," Amelia pondered aloud. "Why would they send a vampire after us? How could they?"

"I intend to find out," Godric informed her. "I shall make a call to Isabel and ask her to look into them both. In the meantime, I think that it might be best for us to return to Dallas. If they are the ones behind this attack then I wish to be back at the nest where I can increase security and keep a close eye on them."

"I just…I don't understand how they could know I was here," Amelia said and Godric stepped towards her, his hands running up and down her shoulders as he attempted to comfort her.

"We will find out," Godric promised in a softer voice than the one he had been using. "Come, Amelia, you should rest. I shall organise for the jet to be prepared first thing at night."

Amelia nodded her head and stepped away from Godric's embrace as she saw him pull out his cell and begin to make calls, speaking in fluent French. She moved into her bedroom after grabbing her bag, unpacking her toiletries as she grabbed her pyjamas. She moved into the bathroom, closing and locking the door before starting the shower.

She waited for the water to warm, shedding her clothes and Godric's jacket before grabbing her shampoo and shower gel before jumping in. She stayed under the water for a while, washing her hair slowly before climbing out and towel drying it. Wrapping a towel around her body, she brushed her teeth and flossed before moisturising. She grabbed fresh underwear once she was in her bedroom and climbed into her checked short sleeved pyjamas. Tossing the wet towel over the towel rack in the bathroom, she padded back to her bed and pulled the thick duvet back.

Climbing into bed, she heard Godric on the phone next door for a few minutes before he closed the door to his own room. Sitting up, Amelia was about to reach and turn the light off, but she decided against it. Instead she laid on her side and looked to the door of her room, unable to think of anything but someone coming through. She winced and shook her head, realising that she shouldn't be acting like such a coward. The room was safe. Godric was next door.

Closing her eyes for a moment, she instantly opened them again and huffed loudly, flapping her arms out to push the duvet back before moving to her feet. She peeled the blind back for a second and saw the haze of the sun. No doubt Godric would be sleeping soon.

Moving from her room, Amelia grabbed the duvet from the bed and a pillow, trudging out into the sitting room with it tucked under her arm. She took a deep breath before knocking on the door to Godric's room. He was there in an instant, opening the wood and looking to Amelia.

"Is something wrong?" he worried.

"No…well…sorry…" Amelia blabbered as she realised that he was completely shirtless, dressed only in a pair of white loose pants. "I know I'm being silly, but I don't want to be in that room alone. Can I just sleep on the floor?"

Godric nodded and let her pass into his room. "Amelia, you can share the bed."

"I'm fine down here," she promised him, already dropping her pillow and duvet to the ground, preparing the make a cocoon from the large king sized duvet. Godric took hold of her arm before she could move to the ground, looking at her with a soft expression.

"Just take one side of the bed," he urged from her.

She was about to protest, but the vampire was quick, tugging her to the bed until she was sat at the edge of it. She remained seated as she saw him move to the other side and lay down, his hands on his flat stomach and Amelia couldn't help but note his chiselled chest, blushing once she turned her gaze away.

"Godric," she spoke his name.

"Hmm," he wondered from her.

"You know I don't mind if you take my blood," Amelia told him and she swore she heard him exhale a shaky breath as she moved, resting against the leather headboard and pulling her legs to her chest, hooking her arms around them. "I know you don't like drinking, but…I mean…I've dragged you into more of my mess and I don't want to see you hurt…or weak…because…once again, I can't look after myself."

Godric sat up instantly then at hearing her tone, knowing that he had to stop her from feeling this way. He took her cheek into his hand and turned her gaze to his.

"Don't do that," he urged in a gentle tone.

"It's true though," Amelia responded. "They ransacked my room. I just…it's like Will…everything…I keep thinking about you being hurt because of me. I can't let that happen, Godric. I can't let you get hurt…"

"No one will touch you or me," Godric promised her. "Amelia, how many times do I need to tell you that I am here for you?"

Amelia let out a small laugh then, nodding as she felt him wipe her eyes gently. "I still keep thinking that you'll see sense and just leave me. Everyone else I knew did."

Godric shook his head. "I am going nowhere."

"Okay…that's good…thank you," Amelia whispered, trying to collect herself as Godric kissed her forehead tenderly. "I still think that you should drink."

"I have-"

"-You're turning paler than usual," Amelia interrupted before he could make up his excuses. "Godric, you know I don't mind. Please…it would make me feel better."

Godric arched a brow. "Emotional blackmail again?" he wondered.

"If it gets you to drink then I will use any tactic," Amelia said and Godric looked down to her neck, her hair still damp and clinging to her skin. He took a moment to try and control himself, but he was struggling, especially when she offered herself on a plate to him.

"I do not require much," Godric said.

"That's better than nothing."

Amelia moved then, shifting onto her knees in front of him as Godric remained sat up against the headboard. She tugged her hair over one shoulder as she felt one of Godric's arms wrap around her waist, his hand splayed on her back while his other hand went to cradle her neck. She heard his fangs snick down and she closed her eyes, waiting for a brief moment of pain. She had to admit that she was shocked for a moment, instead she felt his lips on her neck, slowly caressing her skin as she opened her eyes and wondered what he was doing before he bit into her.

She did wince then, startling as she let a hand move out, pressing against something so she could keep herself steady. She was shocked to find that her hand had gone straight to Godric's bare chest, her fingers splaying against the cold skin as she steadied herself. Godric felt the heat of her hand in an instant, his force speeding up as he drank from her, unable to contain himself as he tasted her blood. He let himself moan once, knowing that he couldn't stop it as he heard Amelia's short and sharp pants from above him.

As he continued drinking, he longed for her to be closer to him. He needed to feel her. He needed her warmth. He moved without thinking, his instinct taking over him for the first time in a while. He rolled her onto her back, still drinking from her as he heard her gasp from shock, his head now tucked firmly against her neck while he allowed one hand to hold her back, crushing his fingers between her and the mattress. His other hand moved along her side, going up until he cupped the other side of her neck, skimming lightly and causing her pyjama top to tickle against her side.

It was only when his hand reached her cheek did he heard her moan gently and he admitted his surprise at the noise. He managed to look up, seeing that her head was thrown back, her eyes closed and her lips parted. He didn't know what he felt then, but it was something that stirred inside of him. Here she was, laid underneath him, completely powerless and willing. He knew that feeding could be sensual. He was aware of that after his years on the planet, but he had not truly listened to his feeding partner in many years, nor had he cared about their reactions. But this was different.

Amelia, for her part, had confessed to herself that it felt good. It felt good to be drunk from and she didn't try to fight it. She felt some guilt for a few moments, but then Godric had rolled her onto her back and drank even more aggressively, causing her to shudder and moan at the feeling. The two thousand year old vampire clearly knew what he was doing.

He pulled back after a while and Amelia chewed the inside of her cheek as she felt him move his lips over her neck, the pace slow and steady as she felt his tongue dart out, getting the last drop of blood from her. He pressed his finger to his fangs and healed her wound before licking his own lips once he saw how she had bitten down on her lip without realising.

"I apologise," Godric said after a second. "I got carried away."

"No," Amelia said, in a state of bewilderment as she struggled to catch her breath. "It's fine…I mean…it was good."

She mentally scolded herself as Godric nodded, seeming to sense that there was a change between the pair of them. Amelia gulped and grabbed the end of the duvet, tugging it up to her chin as she rested on her back.

"We should sleep," she said, her neck still pleasantly throbbing as Godric nodded.

"Of course. Sleep well, Amelia."

"You too, Godric."

Rolling onto her side, Amelia closed her eyes and wondered what had just happened. She thought about the feeling of Godric's lips on her skin and she felt herself warm up, her cheeks turning red. She wondered how it might have felt to have his lips travel across her skin, but she scolded herself. She couldn't think like that. This was Godric. He was her friend. Friends didn't act like that. But then she remembered the feeling of his hand on her back, possessively holding her to him as she let out a small sigh of exasperation.

She turned her head to the side and looked at him, the duvet pooled to his waist, his hands on top of his bare stomach. Her eyes ran over his body and to his resting face. She chewed down on her lip again and rolled away from him, wondering if he felt the same.

Godric could feel her watching him, but he kept his eyes closed. It was only once she had rolled away did he open them and let his head fall to the side to look to her. Had she felt it too? Did she know what she had done to him when he had heard her moan loudly? Did she have any idea how it felt to have her writhing beneath his body? He continued to watch her for a few moments, wondering just what was going on in her head as she remained awake and did the same.


	19. Chapter 19

Amelia snuck out of bed the following morning, leaving her duvet and pillow on the floor as she allowed Godric to sleep. She moved to her own room and went to shower once again, packing everything away and changing into a pair of jeans, ankle boots and sweatshirt. She tied her hair up and moved into the sitting room, dropping her duffle bag on the sofa. Moving slowly, Amelia dared to peek behind the blinds of the balcony doors, seeing the sunlight shifting into her eyes. She winced for a moment, the sun seeming to blind her for a few seconds.

Looking behind her, she realised that Godric was still resting and so she unlocked the balcony door and stepped outside, closing the door behind her. She let out a content sigh as she felt the setting sun on her skin, feeling the rays of its last warmth. As much as she enjoyed spending time with Godric, a part of her wondered what it would be like never to see the sun again. She sat down on the wooden bench and simply basked in the dying light, her mind going back to the previous night.

She had been bitten before and she knew how it felt. The first time Will had taken her blood she had been shocked and scared, begging him to stop. He had done so, promising her that he would only do it again once she was ready. She had waited a couple of weeks before asking him to try again and he had done so. She could almost remember how it had felt. She had been young and naïve to vampires, uncertain how drinking blood could lead to sex. The first time she'd had sex with Will had been after he had drank her blood. He had been her first and, while she had been embarrassed, he had promised her that there was nothing to be embarrassed about.

He had been so gentle and tender the first time, but then Amelia had realised that it could be just as good when he was a little rougher, plunging his fangs into her just as she was on the brink of release. She hadn't felt like that in such a long time. She hadn't felt desire since all those months ago. Of course, she felt guilty. Will had been gone for weeks and here she was thinking of how it would feel to let Godric touch her. She felt pathetic. But the more she thought about it, the more uncomfortable she became, the warmth growing in her stomach unable to die down.

She loved Will. Of course she loved him. She would have stayed by his side through anything. But she had not been with him, truly, since she had been forced to break his heart and break up with him. She had gotten him back and he had been snatched from her again. And then she thought about Godric. She had spent a long time with him, living in his house and spending most of his waking hours by his side.

Amelia sighed and shook her head. She enjoyed spending time with him. She always had done. Even when they were becoming friends she wondered if there was something else. Had there always been a spark between them? Had she not noticed it? Or was she completely imaging it? She supposed it was possible that she had imagined it. She did have an over-active imagination – the result of having a lonely childhood. But a part of her thought that it had been real.

Closing her eyes, she allowed the soft breeze to flow over her before she heard the door open and she saw Godric stood in the doorway, the sun having just disappeared from sight. She smiled up to him as he looked to her, his lips pursed.

"I would prefer for you not to be out here," Godric said and she swore she saw his jaw tense. "I cannot protect you during the day."

"I was just getting some air," Amelia said. "Besides, the chances of someone striking in light in the middle of a busy street are slim. It is a vampire who was here."

"Still not chances I would like to take," Godric said and Amelia almost felt as though he was scolding her. Godric took a deep breath and then nodded. "Please come in, Amelia."

Amelia did as she was told then, entering the suite as Godric closed the door and locked it. Looking to him, she bit down on her lip, not wanting to piss him off. She saw him glance to her again and his gaze moved away, almost as though he was having a difficult time in meeting her eye. Had she really annoyed him that much? She decided not to say anything. Instead she reached for her satchel and duffle bag as she saw Godric silently sling his own bag over his shoulder.

The ride down to reception was silent and Amelia swore there was some kind of atmosphere between them. The vampire kept his distance and his gaze from her and she almost felt like a lost puppy as she followed him out to the foyer and reception, allowing him to check out as the manager appeared and assured him that his stay would be refunded because of the trouble. Godric had nodded his thanks, but he did not wish to listen to their apologetic words.

Instead he concerned himself with getting away from France. It didn't take long before he was in the back of the car with Amelia and driving back to the airport. He had looked to Amelia, but she had been glancing out the window and he had turned his gaze back to his cell, typing away furiously.

Once they boarded the plane, Amelia sat across from Godric, holding her chin in her hand as she buckled in and looked out the window. Godric took his seat and kept his eyes fixed on his screen. He listened as the airhostess asked if she could get them anything. Amelia said she was fine and Godric told her that he would call for her if he needed anything. She had gone off then, heading to the back of the plane.

It was only in mid flight when Amelia looked to Godric, her gaze wide and her lips pursed.

"What have I done?" she demanded from him and Godric finally looked over to her. "Why the hell are you acting like this?"

Godric said nothing in response to her. Instead he remained mute, uncertain of what he was supposed to say to her. He had tonnes of thoughts running around inside of his head. He knew exactly what he was feeling, but he found it difficult to express it with words. Even after all these years, he struggled with coming to terms with his feelings. He allowed Amelia to continue, her anger apparent as she snapped at him.

"Is it because I was outside?" she demanded from him. "Are you pissed off with me because I went outside?"

"Yes," Godric nodded his head.

"Then I'm sorry," Amelia said, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm sorry that I didn't think or realise that I was putting myself in danger. I'm sorry…okay? I'm sorry, but I just wanted fresh air and to see the sun for five minutes."

"You do not understand," Godric told her.

"What do I not understand?" Amelia demanded from him.

"You risked yourself, Amelia," Godric said, his voice cold and snappy. "By going outside you put your life on the line. I was not there to protect you. You know that vampires can fly. You know that they have speed. They have the ability to kill without a second thought. What if he had been watching, Amelia? What if he had decided to come and rip your throat out? Drain you of life? Just waiting until the sun had set. What if he had gotten to you before I did?"

"But nothing happened!" Amelia snapped back.

"That is not the point," Godric snarled back to her. "The point is that you put yourself at risk in the first place."

"I get that," Amelia responded, "and I am sorry, but I didn't think any harm would come to me, okay? I'm sorry, Godric."

"If anything happened…" Godric trailed off, shaking his head firmly, his eyes widening as he looked to her. "Do you not understand, Amelia? Do you not see what that would have done to me…after last night…"

Amelia did feel herself begin to blush then, chewing down on her cheek as she felt his gaze grow even more intense. But he said nothing. He shook his head and moved a hand through his hair. Amelia had to admit that this was the most tense she had ever seen him. She had never seen him look so uneasy as he let his eyes roam over her features.

"I'm sorry," Amelia offered again.

Godric gave a tight nod. "Just don't do it again," he said, his voice back to being firm.

Amelia went back into deep thought, her mind whirling with what Godric meant. He had mentioned last night. But what about last night? He hadn't specifically said what he meant about last night. She wondered if he had thought what she thought. Was that what it was? Amelia didn't know and she didn't approach the subject again as she closed her eyes and tried to sleep, not wanting to think of Godric being angry with her.

…

As soon as night fell over Dallas, Amelia had found herself in the guest room. She had sat on the bed, her legs crossed after showering. Once they had returned to the nest, Stan and Isabel had greeted Godric and insisted that they speak with him in private. Amelia didn't even bother to wait to be dismissed by Godric. She had trudged up the stairs with her bag over her shoulder and a tired look in her eye.

Isabel had watched the human move away as she spoke with Godric and told him she had been keeping her eye on Daniel while Stan had been watching Martin. Both of them had hardly left the house and neither of them had any interesting transactions on their accounts. There had been cars going in and out, but Isabel could not trace their calls or find anything out about them. She had promised to keep looking into everything.

It was when they were finished when Isabel watched Stan leave and she remained seated at the chair by Godric's desk as he sat in the tall leather seat behind it. Godric looked up from his laptop screen and over to his underling as she remained silent.

"You have something to say, Isabel," he said, knowing when something was on her mind.

He shrugged from his suit jacket, tossing it over the arm of his chair as he laced his fingers together and rested them on top of the desk.

"You do not look as pale as usual," Isabel observed.

"What are you asking, Isabel?" Godric wondered from her.

"Not asking," Isabel said with a shake of her head. "I am just observing."

"Amelia permitted me to drink from her," Godric said with a soft nod. "I decided that it might be for the best considering that I will need my strength if I am to take care of her."

"Godric, we have been trying to persuade you to drink for weeks…months…but Amelia…she convinced you. She was the one who got you to change your mind and I know how stubborn you can be."

"Indeed," Godric mused.

Isabel sighed and ran a hand through her long, dark hair. She loved Godric. She adored him. He was her Sheriff and he had shown that he cared for both her and Stan. She had grown close to him. He was a good friend. She just knew that he was closed off.

"And then she returned here and I could see that she was not happy…both of you did not acknowledge each other," Isabel said. "You are usually always around her…protecting her…"

Godric let out a deep breath and arched a brow at her. "Are you prying, Isabel?"

"I am concerned for you, Godric," Isabel said with haste, not wanting him to think she was intruding too much. "I want you to be happy and I think that she makes you happy…happier than I have seen you in a long time."

"I found her on the balcony while the sun was out," Godric admitted to Isabel. "I was angry with her after what had happened. I cannot keep her safe while the sun is out and she had gone out during the day. She did not think."

Isabel nodded. "She is human, Godric," she said, thinking to Hugo. "They do not think like we do. They are not as protective as we are. I take it she knows that she made a mistake?"

"I told her."

Isabel sighed. "You told her?" she asked from him.

"Why is that a problem?" Godric asked.

"You are my Sheriff and I love you dearly," Isabel said, "but even I admit that you scare me when you are angry."

"I…I was angry," Godric admitted, "but I did not yell, nor did I break anything. I just wanted her to see that I was only angry because I care so much. After the other night I thought that she would know that."

Isabel's brow furrowed. "What happened the other night?"

Godric shifted in his seat, wondering if he should tell her. "I drank from her," Godric said, "but I confess that I found myself getting carried away. I think she felt the same way…we both…well…"

"I take it you did not…well…" Isabel said, finding the topic slightly uncomfortable with her Sheriff. "Fuck?"

"No," Godric said, shaking his head. "I did not even kiss her."

Isabel continued to look confused. "Then how did you get carried away?"

"For me, after decades of celibacy, I was carried away," Godric said. "Her blood was nothing special, but it was intoxicating. I wanted to drink…hold her close…hear her moan…you know how feeding can be, Isabel. I simply wanted her."

"And she did not want you?"

"I do not know," Godric confessed. "There are times when I think that she is growing in her feelings for me. She looked…well…almost as though she was enjoying herself when I drank from her. There were times when she grabbed my hand and held onto it…looked at me as though she were…well…I do not know."

"Have you spoken with her?" Isabel wondered from him.

"Of course not," Godric said. "She has lost her boyfriend."

"Godric, I think she lost him months ago," Isabel said. "Yes, she got him back for a few days, but I think she realised she had lost him months ago when she split up with him. I think she began to move on then. I think…perhaps she might have been falling for you before Will returned and she did not even notice."

"I do not know," Godric admitted.

"Then go and talk with her," Isabel urged.

"You know that I would not permit anyone else to speak to me as you have done, don't you?"

"Yes," Isabel said, "but even you, a two thousand year vampire, don't understand women."

…

Godric finally plucked up the courage to go to Amelia, knowing that they had to talk. He wanted to clear the air. He didn't want there to be any tension hanging over them. He carried the cup of herbal tea in his hands, knocking on her door and then letting himself in after she had called out to him. Pushing the door open, he walked in to see her sat up in bed, a copy of Jane Eyre in her fingertips. Closing the door behind him, Godric moved and placed the mug down on the bedside table.

"Thank you," Amelia said, placing the book down next to her on the bed.

"Amelia, I do not wish to fight with you."

"Are we fighting?" Amelia wondered from him.

"I…I do not know what we are doing," he confessed from her. "There is clearly some tension between both of us and I do not particularly enjoy letting it brew. I consider you a friend, Amelia. I do not want to fight."

"Is that all you consider me as?" Amelia dared to ask, wishing that she had bit her tongue. But it was out there now. It was out there and she felt better after saying it. She felt better. "I know what happened the other night in Paris, Godric. I know that…well…I think that things changed."

"I…" Godric trailed off, thinking of what he was going to say. He took a moment before he stopped thinking and simply spoke. He let the words flow from him. "Amelia, I admit that my feelings for you go deeper than friendship. I think that they have done for a while…probably since the first time we met. The feelings have only deepened as I have spent time with you and gotten to know you. I have come to know as kind and compassionate…beautiful…funny…and all of that emotion…all my feelings…I fear that they came out when I drank your blood and held you to me."

Amelia gulped. She hadn't been imaging it. He did feel the same way that she felt. It took her a second before she nodded her head and gathered her thoughts. She let out a sharp breath and laced her hands together, folding her legs and letting her hands drop into her lap.

"I hadn't really thought about it until recently," she admitted to him. "I always thought that you were simply a good friend, but then I think back to when we were spending time together and I…I think about how I felt then…how happy I felt…just being with you…and I think that I didn't realise it at the time. I didn't realise that my feelings for you were deeper than I thought."

Amelia let out a shaky breath. "And then Will came back and he told me he knew how we felt, but I thought he was imagining it," Amelia confessed, "but then I began to wonder if he was telling the truth. I began to think of how I felt whenever you spoke about me…how you comforted me…how it felt whenever I touched you."

Godric listened with intent as she looked to him.

"And then being in Paris with you…just being with you…it's the happiest I have been in a long time," Amelia said. "And while I love Will, and a part of me always will love Will…I fear that I let him go when I was forced to split up with him months ago. I know that I got him back and I will thank you every day for bringing him back to me, but I'm beginning to wonder if he was right and if, by that stage, I'd begun to fall for someone else…for you."

She continued to watch Godric, her hands twiddling together as she fidgeted.

"Godric, I had never been as happy as I was when I was with you in Paris," Amelia said. "It scares me a bit…moving on so soon after Will and I feel guilty, but I can't deny it. I can't deny that I felt something when you were drinking from me…or even when you were teaching me how to dance…taking me to the Louvre …it just felt nice…right…"

"I know," Godric said with a nod of his head. "Amelia, I know."

"I just keep thinking about it. I keep thinking about everything and it keeps going round in my head," Amelia told him. "I value you so much, Godric. I value you as a friend, but I know that…one day…perhaps…I will see you as something more, but I don't want you to wait for me. I don't want you to wait for me when there are hundreds of other girls who are so much better than I am."

Godric did let his lips pull upwards then. "Do you think that I would want anyone else?" he asked of her. "Amelia, I am not pressuring you into anything. I do not wish for you to rush into anything."

"But, again, that's not fair on you," Amelia said. "I can't promise to give you what you want…need…but I just…I just know that I think my feelings for you run deeper than I want to admit. I've come to realise that."

"As have I," Godric promised her. "Amelia, nothing needs to change. We can still be us. We have time…you have an entire life in front of you and I would understand if you realised that…realised that you wanted the sun…a normal life…a husband who can give you children. I would understand."

"Godric, I'm not even thinking about any of that right now," she whispered, reaching out to take his hand. "All that I'm thinking about is you."

"What is it you want, Amelia?" Godric enquired from her. "If you want to forget we had this conversation and go back to how we were then I can do that."

"That's the thing," Amelia whispered, looking timidly to him. "I don't want that, Godric. I just want to be…well…I want Paris…I want what we had in Paris."

Godric nodded. "One day," he said gently. "Once we get to the bottom of all this, we can have Paris again. I will take you back there…and other places…Amsterdam…Berlin…Rome…anywhere. It can be us and we can be as happy as we have been."

Amelia did smile then, holding his hand tightly. "I would like that," she said.

"Then I shall make it happen," Godric spoke calmly. "But for now…we will continue as we are."

"And see what happens?"

"And see what happens," Godric echoed back.

"Okay," Amelia said and let out a soft laugh. "You know, that actually makes me feel better. I spent most of the night in Paris wondering what the hell you were thinking after you had fed."

Godric's lips arched. "I know," he told her. "I felt you staring at me."

Amelia looked mortified then and Godric chuckled at the blush rising on her cheeks. He squeezed her fingers in his, letting his other hand come to rest over the one he was holding. "I did the same if that makes you feel any better," Godric said to her. "I watched you sleep and wondered what you were thinking. Plus, you do snore in your sleep."

"I do not!" Amelia balked at him, moving to push at his shoulder.

"Believe me, you do," Godric told her.

She rolled her eyes and picked up the mug of tea with her spare hand, sipping on it gently. "Only when I'm in a deep sleep," she admitted to him.

"I heard," Godric said.

Amelia rolled her eyes and leaned back against the headboard, still holding Godric's hand as he let his fingers entwine with hers, his thumb running over her knuckles.

"What did Stan and Isabel say when you spoke with them?" Amelia enquired, changing the subject.

"They have found nothing suspicious on your father or former fiancé, but they are keeping their eye on the situation," Godric promised her in a gentle tone. "I will also look into it. I have increased security around the nest. There are day workers making sure no one can break in."

"Okay," Amelia said. "I don't really know what we should do…unless I speak with my father and find out if he sent someone?"

"Perhaps that might not be a bad idea," Godric said. "You could call him on a burner and see if he knows anything. I'll have Stan pick up a burner cell."

"And if it is him?"

"Then we deal with that when we come to it," Godric said to her.

"Okay," Amelia nodded her head. "That's what we'll do then."

"It is," Godric said. "For now, we both need to rest. It has been a rather tiring day and night."

"Sounds good," Amelia said to him.

She uncurled herself from the bed as Godric stood too. He looked down to her as he saw her pull off the white robe she wore, tossing it at the end of her bed as she stood in her plaid pyjamas. Looking up to Godric, she let her gaze meet his, her eyes wide as she saw his gentle expression. Moving slowly, she placed her hands on his shoulders and leant forwards, pressing her lips to his cheek.

She had kissed him on the cheek plenty of times before, but this time felt different. She didn't just peck him. She let her lips rest there as she felt his hands cup her waist, his fingers digging into her sides as they splayed out. Amelia moved her lips from his and wrapped her arms around his neck, her cheek resting on his shoulder as she closed her eyes for a second.

"Is this taking things slowly?" Godric dared to wonder from her as she shrugged against him.

"I don't know," she admitted. "I just know that it feels right."

"I agree," Godric said in a small voice down to her.

It was another few moments before Amelia pulled back and looked to him as he moved a hand to her cheek, his thumb skimming over her cheekbone.

"I do not deserve this affection," Godric said to her. "I do not deserve someone like you showing me tenderness like this."

"You deserve better," Amelia responded. "You deserve someone so much better than me."

"That is where you are wrong," Godric spoke. "But you might not think that of me when I tell you what I promised my progeny back in Paris."

"Which one?" Amelia wondered, pulling back from Godric as he kept his hands on her waist.

"Eric," he said. "I promised that I would introduce you two when we returned to Dallas. I had not expected to return this quickly, but my child will know I am back soon enough."

"He wants to meet me?" Amelia wondered, slight concern in her voice.

"He does," Godric said. "I have asked him to be nice, however."

"That doesn't sound promising," Amelia mumbled and Godric chuckled.

"I'll make sure he plays nicely."

"Don't worry about me," Amelia said with a scoff. "I've dealt with my father, Daniel and some pretty sleazy guys in bars. I think I can handle a pissed off vampire who doesn't like me because I'm human."

Godric smirked at hearing her as she moved from his hold after pecking his cheek one final time. He nodded his head.

"I think that's what worries me," he whispered to himself before seeing her climb into bed, pick her book back up and watch him.

"Then that is settled," Godric spoke. "I shall let you sleep. Rest well, Amelia."

"Sleep tight, Godric," she said the vampire smiled before leaving her in her room, closing the door behind him. He let his smile stay on his face all the way back to his own room, thinking of the hell that Amelia could give his progeny if he threatened not to play nicely. No doubt the two of them meeting could prove to be interesting.

...

A/N: Thank you so much to anyone reading and to my reviewers. It really means a lot. I'm having a great time writing this!


	20. Chapter 20

Amelia finished eating dinner the following evening. She had been in the kitchen before the vampires had woken from their slumber. She had defrosted some of the Bolognese sauce she had made and warmed it up, adding some penne pasta. She had sat at the breakfast bar and ate the dinner, sipping on a glass of water. Godric had woken just as she had finished eating and had gone to wash up. She had turned her head over her shoulder to smile over to him and he had smiled back.

"Did you sleep well?" Godric asked from her.

"Very well, thank you," she responded. "Did you rest well?"

"I did," Godric nodded back to her.

"Good," Amelia said, drying her dishes and putting them away as she spoke to him. Her voice was soft and gentle as she wandered around the kitchen and Godric remained stood by the breakfast bar. "So I was thinking about calling my father. I mean…I know that you said Stan and Isabel couldn't find anything on him and the more I think about it then the more it makes sense. Both him and Daniel detest vampires. I can't understand why they would work with them."

"Desperate men often do desperate things," Godric responded to her as she grabbed another glass of water, running it under the cold-water tap.

"I know," Amelia said as she sipped on her water and moved to perch on a bar stool, Godric copying her movements and sitting down next to her as she held the glass in both hands. "I just don't know why they would send someone after me. They've lost and it wasn't me who ruined them. It was mom. I think that it is weird."

"Even if you did call him, do you think that you would get the truth?"

"No," Amelia answered without skipping a beat. "I know him, Godric. I know how he is and I know how he can lie. I just don't understand why he would want to work with a vampire, or have a vampire work for him."

"So you do not think it is your father or Daniel?"

"That's the thing," Amelia said, biting down on her bottom lip. "I cannot think of anyone who holds a grudge against me, but I cannot think that they would work with a vampire."

"I understand," Godric said to her. "Then what do you suggest we do, Amelia? How do you want to play this?"

"I will call him," Amelia said with a stubborn nod of her head, placing her glass down onto the worktop surface. "I mean, I don't expect the truth, but I might be able to tell if he is lying. Then again, I've never been able to tell that he was lying before."

Godric shifted in his seat as he contemplated what he was about to say to her. He looked to her before doing what he thought was right.

"Call him and ask him to meet you," Godric urged from her. "I will go with you and I can glamour him."

"Godric, that is insane!" Amelia said with a firm snap. "He might be in the middle of a legal fiasco, but he will still have his security detail. Besides, he might even be under house arrest. I don't want you anywhere near him, Godric."

Godric let his lips quirk. "Amelia, while I appreciate your concern, you do not need to worry for me. If he dares to hurt me then I could…well…I can assure you that no harm shall come to me. I can handle myself. I can handle him. I think that this is the only way we are going to be able to establish if he is telling the truth."

"I don't like it."

"Nor do I truly," Godric said. "But we shall discover the truth."

…

Godric had never seen Martin Jones in the flesh before. He had seen him on television and that had been enough for him to know what kind of man he was. Godric had listened as Amelia demanded for him to meet her at a diner in downtown Dallas. He had agreed. Amelia had been shocked at that. She had arrived early with Godric, clinging onto his hand as they sat in a booth. Godric had held her fingers inside of his, her thigh brushing against his as he let out a sharp breath at the contact.

Her father was ten minutes late and Godric had smirked as soon as he had seen Martin Jones storm into the diner, two members of his security detail standing by the door. Amelia's grip on Godric's fingers increased as she saw her father. He was dressed in a sharp grey suit, pushing his hair back before slipping down into the seat across from them.

"What do you want, Amelia?" Martin demanded from her.

"Nice to see you too," Amelia drawled, unable to hold her tongue as Martin's glare increased on his daughter.

"Do you think that I wanted to come here?" he demanded from her.

"I didn't want to come here either," Amelia snarled back, feeling an anger building up inside of her. "But I needed to know the truth-"

"-Did you know?" Martin interrupted before she could continue, still not allowing his gaze to rest on Godric. He ignored the vampire who had persuaded his daughter to disobey him. He didn't want to look at the piece of scum. He was beneath him. "Did you know that your mother was fucking a fang, Amelia? Did you keep her dirty secret for her?"

Amelia composed herself. She wasn't going to let him see her riled up. He had seen her angry too many times before. She had lost her temper in front of him and she was determined to be the better person now. She owed it to her mother.

"I had no idea," Amelia said, "but I do know that she is happier now than she ever has been. She deserves someone who loves her; not someone who forced her to quit her job to help him fulfil his political ambition."

Martin seemed to turn slightly red as he heard his daughter speak to him. He moved his hands to rest on top of the table, his lip sneering as he leaned forwards and looked at her.

"Listen to me, you ungrateful whore-"

"-Do not speak about her that way," Godric interrupted, refusing to sit back and let that pass. His voice was low. His tone was even. But there was a threat behind his words. There was a threatening edge to the way he spoke and Amelia watched as her father turned his gaze towards Godric, the two men finally locking eyes. "Or it will be the last thing you do."

"Who do you think you are to threaten me?" Martin snapped.

"Someone who can break you in a second," Godric said. "Believe me, after the way you have treated Amelia, nothing would give me greater pleasure. However, I do not wish to cause a scene in public, nor do I truly wish to waste my energy on such a pathetic creature like yourself."

Amelia watched on as Godric spoke and she squeezed his hand. She didn't want to see him do anything brash. She couldn't deny that it was nice having Godric defend her. It had been a long time since anyone had stood up for her to her father. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time her mother had done it. Yet Godric stood there and he spoke in such a confident tone. He was not unrelenting, nor would he accept Martin's comments.

"Now," Godric continued as Martin remained at a loss for words, "we are here because we need the truth."

Martin scoffed. "And what truth is this?" he demanded of them.

"Have you sent someone after me?" Amelia asked. "A vampire found me in Paris and ransacked my room."

Martin's nose wrinkled then. "Do you think that I would associate with a fang?"

"No," Amelia said.

"And why do you think I would waste my time on you?" Martin said, looking his daughter up and down, seeing the green dress she wore and recognising its expense alongside the dark blazer over her shoulders. "You're a lost cause, Amelia. You're a fangbanger…whoring yourself out to whoever will have you and judging by that expensive dress I'd say you're not doing a bad job."

Godric had moved then, leaning over the table, his hand holding the throat of Martin as his security detail rushed forwards. The waitress behind the counter remained mute and stoic. But Godric turned his head to the side, his fangs protruding from his mouth as the security stood still.

"Make another move and I snap his neck," Godric warned them and they looked to Martin who simply held a hand up, urging for them to keep their distance.

"Godric," Amelia said in a soft voice, hoping that he wouldn't do anything brash as she moved to lean forwards, a hand going to the arm that didn't hold her father.

"I warned you," Godric said, his tone one of anger. "It seems that you really are as arrogant as you come across on TV."

"Do it then," Martin urged from him, his head held high even in this moment. "Carry out your threat…let everyone know what you fangs are really like."

"Godric, please," Amelia said, her tone pleading. "Come on. I already know the truth…"

"We will be certain," Godric said and looked to Martin's eyes. "Remove those contacts now."

"Why?" Martin asked. "So that you can glamour me and ask if I sent a vampire after Amelia? Go ahead. I have nothing to hide. My accounts have been frozen. I'm wearing an ankle tag. The AVL have people secretly watching me. Do you think that I have had a chance to send someone after her? Besides, why would I bother? She's no daughter of mine…not anymore."

Amelia felt her eyes sting with water at hearing that, but she pushed them aside as she watched Godric sneer, the noise intense and loud as she closed her eyes and shook her head. A sad smile came to her lips before she opened her eyes and saw that her father had removed his contacts. No. She didn't need to have Godric glamour him for the truth to be revealed. She already knew it.

"Did you send a vampire after Amelia?" Godric demanded, compelling Martin.

"No."

"Did Daniel?"

"No," Martin said.

"How can you be sure?"

"Because we've been together through all of this and he wouldn't go against me. He runs all his plans through me."

"That's all we need from him," Amelia said, squeezing Godric's forearm. "Come on, Godric. He's not worth it. Let's just go and get out of here."

Godric was reluctant to let Martin go from his grip, but he soon dropped him, letting him lean back against the seat and releasing his compulsion from him. Amelia slipped from the booth with Godric, taking his hand once again as she looked to her father's security, vaguely recognising them.

"This will end in tears, Amelia," Martin said and she turned her head over her shoulder to look back to him. "This will all end in tears."

Amelia nodded her head. "I agree," she said, "but I think that it will only end in tears for you…I'm not going to let anything ruin me."

…

Godric didn't particularly enjoy being out in the open with Amelia when he knew there was someone who was after her. However, he knew that, whoever the vampire was, if he dared to come and hurt Amelia then he would have Godric to answer to. He had flown them back to the nest as soon as possible, a hand on the small of Amelia's back as he urged her inside to the nest. He had seen Stan leave with his friends and Isabel had said that she was going to stay with Hugo for a little while.

It was just the two of them alone. Godric had set the alarm as soon as he entered the house and Amelia frowned, folding her arms over her chest as she watched him enter the code with vampire speed.

"I've never seen you set an alarm before," she whispered and Godric turned to look to her.

"A precaution," Godric told her.

"Do you think that he will come here?" Amelia wondered from Godric.

"He would be a fool to try," Godric assured her. "As I have promised you, security has been enhanced and I have asked someone to look into the video footage from Paris. We will find out who this vampire is sooner rather than later, Amelia."

Amelia nodded and she let Godric move his hand to her back once more, guiding her into the sitting room. She perched down on the sofa and Godric sat next to her.

"So…we're back at square one," Amelia said with a pop of her lips. "We know for certain it wasn't my father or Daniel."

"We do," Godric said.

"So who else could it be?" Amelia pondered aloud. "I don't know who else I have pissed off…I mean…there was that vampire the night you found me."

"I banished him," Godric said to her. "I told him not to return to my area unless he wished to die a painful and drawn out death. Besides, the vampire on the video did not look like him."

"I guess not," Amelia said before turning her gaze to Godric. "And did you really banish him?"

"I do not tolerate that type of behaviour," Godric said to her.

"Right," Amelia mumbled. "And there was no one else…the only other vampire I annoyed was the one in Paris, but the footage looked nothing like him. I have no idea who would have done this, Godric. I don't know what I have done to a vampire to warrant this…it makes no sense."

"I promise you, Amelia," Godric whispered to her, moving a hand to stroke her cheek, "I shall endeavour to get to the bottom of this. Until I do, however, I must ask you to remain cautious. I know that you…well…you should not live this kind of life…living in fear…in the dark…but it would mean a great deal to me if you just did it for the time being."

"I will," Amelia said. "I mean, I get it. I can apply for teacher education programmes while I'm here, right? And hopefully by the time I'm accepted onto one then hopefully we might have found out who has done this."

"Of course," Godric said with a nod. "If that is what you still want to do then I think that is a wise idea."

"Okay," Amelia said gently. "And…what do we do until then? Do we wait for him to attack again?"

"No one will be attacking," Godric said, his hand stilling on her cheek. "I will see to that. We shall find out who he is and track him down. He will not lay a hand on you."

"And if he can't be found?" Amelia worried. "What if we can't find him? What if he's gone into hiding?"

"Amelia," Godric said, his voice calm and gentile as he spoke to her, trying to urge her not to panic. "Everything shall be fine, I promise you. I shall make certain of it. Please, do not work yourself up over this."

Amelia let out a dark chuckle. "It is difficult not to," she admitted to him.

"I understand," Godric promised her, "but all shall be well. I assure you. Try not to let it plague your thoughts. I do not wish to see you full of worry, not when I have seen you so happy recently."

"You know…" Amelia trailed off, gulping once before peering to look up to Godric from where she sat next to him. "It's kind of…when you say stuff like that…it just…well…makes me feel as though…it's difficult to explain."

Godric let his lips move upwards as he swept his thumb over her cheekbone, feeling her shudder under his hold. "Try," he simply whispered to her.

"Adored," Amelia blurted out, uncertain of another word to use as her eyes roamed over his face and she felt her cheeks warm up. "I haven't felt like that in such a long time and it's nice. I just want you to know that I feel the same too."

"I know," Godric promised her, his eyes searching hers as he saw her move her gaze over his features, his hand cupping her cheek softly as he wondered how it would feel to lean down and kiss her. "But that is because I do adore you, Amelia…more than even I care to admit…"

"This is ridiculous," Amelia whispered as she dared to move a hand down his cheek, slipping her fingers to his neck as she felt his cold skin and she swore he shuddered under her warm touch. "There's a vampire out there and we're sat in here…but now…all I can think about is how happy I am with you…how calm you make me feel…it's ridiculous."

Godric's lips seemed to rise even further at hearing her. "I do not think it is ridiculous," Godric said in a gentle tone. "I think it is rather lovely."

Amelia let her gaze move down to his lips, unable to stop herself from thinking about how they would feel. She kept her eyes focused on them, seeing how plump and firm they were as she recalled how it had felt the time he had kissed her for the cameras. Would it feel different now that they were alone and not holding back? How would it feel to press herself to him as he kissed her? Amelia pushed them thoughts from her mind and coughed awkwardly, changing the topic.

"So what do we do now?" Amelia wondered of him.

"I told you, Amelia-"

"-Not about the vampire," Amelia said, brushing those thoughts to the side. "I meant now…after I've just made a fool of myself. The moment feels a bit awkward."

Godric chuckled at her. "What would you like to do?" he wondered from her.

"I don't know," she said, finally moving to her feet, feeling slightly shaky.

"I confess that I do have business to attend to," Godric said to her. "However, it shouldn't take long."

"Oh," Amelia said. "Well, you should go ahead. I can just go and read for a bit in the guest room."

"Sit with me," Godric urged from her.

She furrowed her brow. "Don't you want to be alone?"

"Not particularly," Godric said to her. "Just come into the study and sit with me. Once we have finished we can decide on something to do before the sun rises."

"Okay," Amelia agreed.

She went off to grab the copy of Jane Eyre she was reading. Changing into her pyjamas, she tied her hair behind her head, tucking the book under her arm as she moved into the kitchen and made herself a cup of herbal tea. Carrying the mug into the study, she placed it on the table by the chair in the corner by the bookshelf. Godric was already sat behind his desk, working at his laptop as Amelia curled into the chair.

Godric confessed that he had good intentions to work and file the relevant paperwork. He wanted to get caught up. He wanted to do that so that he could spend his time with Amelia. But then he had found himself distracted, his mind going back to the young woman in the corner before he let his eyes follow. She was curled into a ball, her hands holding the book tightly as she occasionally reached for her herbal tea without tearing her eyes away from the page. She would put the mug down and then push a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

He felt like a newborn again. He felt as though he couldn't control his emotions. He couldn't control his thoughts. He was intoxicated with her. It had only grown worse since she had admitted that her feelings ran deeper.

"Godric," Amelia suddenly said after an hour, looking to him to find him already looking at her.

"Yes?" Godric wondered from her.

"I don't want to distract you," she said in a gentile tone.

"I have finished anyway," Godric lied to her, closing the lid to his laptop. "What is it, Amelia?"

"I was just wondering," she spoke, "but…maybe…if we can't find this vampire…then maybe we could find a way to lure him out?"

"Absolutely not," Godric said to her, his tone full of authority.

Amelia rolled her eyes. "I'm not talking anything dangerous," she assured him. "I'm just talking we think about using me as bait and trap him."

"Absolutely not," Godric repeated firmly. "We will find a plan without putting you in even the slightest bit of danger. We are not discussing this again, Amelia."

"But-"

"-No buts," Godric interrupted her. "That's all there is to it."

"Fine," Amelia muttered, letting Godric win for now as she closed the book and placed it down on the table next to her empty mug. Moving to her feet, she watched as Godric did the same and she took her mug into the kitchen, placing it in the sink.

"I've known pain, Amelia," Godric admitted to her as he followed her. She turned to look at him then, her eyes wide as Godric moved slowly, his hands going to his shirt as he unbuttoned it, pulling it from his body as Amelia wondered what he was doing. "I remember being a boy at the hands of a vampire when I was enslaved after the invasion of Gaul."

Amelia watched, her gaze moving to the brand on his shoulder as he kept his back to her and spoke, his tone soft and just above a whisper.

"The man who owned me branded me," Godric spoke, "he ended up becoming my maker, but before he turned me he used to…well…he would attack me. He would strike me. He would beat me. I tried to escape him so many times. I tried to get away, but he was always stronger. He would toy with me and let me go so far before bringing me back and attacking me…punishing me…teaching me a lesson. He would…there were nights when he would come to me…and I thought that it would never end. I thought that the pain would never end."

Amelia covered her hand over her mouth, feeling tears well in her eyes at hearing him speak. Her other hand went to the brand on his skin, her finger trailing over it as it puckered up on his flesh. She let her fingers move away after a moment when Godric turned back to look to her.

"I remember when he turned me and became my maker. The abuse continued. It didn't stop. He taught me how to feed and hunt, but he was always stronger than me," Godric said. "I spent years with him, learning and observing everything about being a vampire until I gained the strength to punish him. I had my revenge, Amelia. I killed him."

She gaped then as Godric continued to watch her, trying to discover what her reaction was. All he could see at that moment in time was a mixture of horror and sorrow. Would she think any less of him? Would she think him a monster? Many other people did. Many others thought him as nothing but his nickname. They simply thought of him as Death.

"You must understand that is terribly uncommon for a vampire to killer their maker, in fact, I do not know of anyone else who has done that," he continued speaking. "But I…I could not forgive him for what he had done to me or to others. I did what I thought was necessary and, out of all the things I have done…all the things I regret…killing him was not one of them. Of course, I got into trouble and the ancient community considered me to be the one in the wrong. I fled before they could extract justice. I spent years avoiding them…living in woods…forests…keeping a low profile until they had either all died or forgotten of me."

Amelia continued to watch him, wiping her own eyes as she heard his story. It might have been two thousand years ago, but she struggled to comprehend how people could have been so cruel. Moving a hand out to his cheek, Amelia let her fingers cover his pale skin as Godric moved his own hand to cover hers.

"How could anyone be so cruel?" she whispered. "You were just a child."

"Yes, I was," Godric nodded his head. "It was a long time ago now and, I have to admit, it often feels like a distant memory. I extracted my revenge on him. He could no longer hurt anyone else, yet, despite all of that if I think back to that time…permit myself to think back…I can remember exactly how it felt to be at the mercy of a vampire. I know how frightening we are…the danger we can put people in…and I do not wish to see you in that kind of danger, Amelia. I do not even wish to risk it. I care far too much for you."

She seemed to understand what he was saying then as she stepped closer to him, her hands going to his shoulders, feeling his bare and chiselled skin as she felt him move his hands to her cheeks, brushing away stray wisps of hair that had fallen from her ponytail.

"I'm sorry, Godric," she said. "I'm so sorry…no one deserves what you went through…no one…you were just a child."

"I know," Godric spoke. "But it is in the past, Amelia. It is not a story I retell often nor trust anyone with. It happened and all that I can do is remain grateful that he never had a chance to harm anyone else."

"He deserved what he got, the bastard," Amelia spat and Godric nodded at the venom in her voice as she looked to him. "If you hardly tell anyone…then why me?"

Godric did let his lips quirk then, his hands still cupping her cheeks. "Do you still not see?" he asked from her, a quiet tone of surprise just coming through. "You are not anybody else, Amelia. You are so special to me…I…it is as I said earlier. I adore you."

Moving hesitantly, Amelia pressed herself tighter to Godric, her lips moving to his cheek and lingering there. He felt the press of her warm mouth to his cheeks, staying there for a few good moments before pulling back. He moved with haste, grabbing her waist so that she couldn't move back too much. He kept his eyes locked on hers as she did the same, their faces inches apart before she lost all sense of inhibition. She moved a hand up his neck to the back of his head, tangling her fingers into his hair before she let her lips press to his.

It was slow and tentative to begin with, both of them seemingly uncertain on what they were doing. She simply pressed her lips to his, shocked when he seemed to respond to the kiss, his mouth slowly moving against hers. She jumped away then, her breath coming out in pants as her cheeks flushed.

"I am so sorry!" she shrieked. "You just told me all of that and I did that…I…"

But before she could carry on rambling, Godric had her pressed to him, his lips back on hers as he kissed her with much more vigour, his lips dominating hers, his teeth scraping over her bottom lip as he heard her moan and go slightly lax in his hold, her own hands tightening in his hair as he dragged her closer to him, his chest pressing against hers. He pulled back after a second, watching her gather her breath.

"Do you think that I truly mind?" he asked from her. "Amelia, do you have any idea how long I have wanted to do that?"

"What?" she asked, clearly in a daze as she simply stared at him and he chuckled.

"Perhaps this is not taking it slow like we had suggested," he responded.

"Probably not," she admitted. "But…"

"But?" Godric echoed back to her as she chewed on her lip and he felt himself transfixed by the sight.

"Well I'm not really complaining," she said to him with a shrug. "I mean, we don't need to-"

Godric cut her off once more, covering her mouth with his as he moved with haste, his hands slipping down her waist, skimming her backside before grabbing hold of her thighs. He heard her moan against him as he gained access to her mouth, hauling her up until she was sat on a stool at the breakfast bar, her legs wrapped around his waist. Moving his lips from her mouth, he left a trail of kisses along her cheek before going to her neck, kissing and nipping the skin there as her hands pressed to his chest. She tilted her head back, a loud groan escaping her as Godric twisted a hand in her hair, making sure that she kept her head at the perfect angle as his other hand cupped her waist.

"God…" Amelia panted for breath as she felt his teeth scrape her skin and her eyes closed.

"Close, darling," Godric said, his voice husky and she swore she felt her stomach warm further as he pulled back to look at her, his eyes hooded and his lips parted. "Godric," he corrected her.

Moving to kiss her once more, Godric considered moving his hands to the bare skin from where her shirt had ridden up from her throwing her arms around his neck. However, he had no time. He had barely heard the footsteps enter the kitchen. Pulling back from Amelia, he turned his head to the side as she pouted, wondering what was going on before she followed his gaze. She shrieked loudly as she saw the new figure in the kitchen. He was tall, clad in black jeans and a black vest, long blond hair dangling down to his shoulders.

Unwrapping her legs from Godric, Amelia slipped from the seat as Godric kept his hold on her.

"I did not hear you knock," Godric observed.

"One of your security vampires outside gave me the code. He remembered who I was."

"I see."

"What the hell is going on?" Amelia wondered.

"Calm down, my darling," Godric spoke affectionately as he looked down to her and saw her flushed face and parted lips. "There is no need to be alarmed. This is my child…my progeny…"

Amelia turned to look to the blond again, her eyes widening as she realised who was stood in front of her. Eric Northman. Godric frowned then as he looked to Eric and Amelia remained mute, uncertain of what to say considering a moment ago she had been engaging in some very pleasant kissing with Godric.

"It is rude not to knock or announce yourself, Eric," Godric scolded.

"I apologise, maker," he said. "I should not have pried so soon especially when the scent of arousal was evident as soon as I walked through the door."

Amelia felt her cheeks heat up even further then and Godric saw the stern expression on her face as she turned to look to Eric. A smirk remained on the Viking's face and Godric knew exactly what his child was doing. He said nothing, instead he let Amelia be the one to speak.

"Excuse me," she huffed, "but who the hell do you think you are? That's not exactly a polite thing to mention when you have met someone just for the first time!"

"Calm down," Eric drawled. "Your lust for my maker is obvious and apparent. I've smelt it on hundreds of other women during our time together."

Godric did feel Amelia flinch in his grip then as he turned his glare back to his progeny.

"Eric, enough," he spoke, his voice demanding and intense and Eric nodded, knowing when to keep quiet when it came to Godric. He held his hands up in defence as Godric continued to glower over to him. "Go and wait for me in my office. I shall be there momentarily."

Eric walked away, prowling towards Godric's office and closing the door. Amelia began to slip from Godric's grip, but he reacted with haste, his own hands slipping back to her waist to keep her firmly planted in front of him as she looked to the side.

"You should go and speak with him," she said.

"What he said…" Godric said gently.

"I get it," Amelia said, forcing a smile onto her face. "I mean, you've been alive hundreds of years and had other women…probably ones who are more attractive then me…better at this kind of stuff too…"

"Is that what you think?" Godric wondered.

"I mean, it would make sense," Amelia said, looking down at herself. "Come on, Godric, I'm not exactly hot or typically attractive. The only thing I'd say I've got is a good ass, but even that's gone with the amount of crap I've been eating."

"Amelia," Godric spoke, his tone stern yet patient, "never speak of yourself in such a manner. Regardless of anything, you are the one who has saved me recently. You are the one who I have let in…not those women from years ago…the women who used me…who wanted nothing but to use me for who I am…they did not see me, nor did they care for me, not in the way that you do. You are so very different to them. Do not let Eric's words affect you. He was simply…well…being Eric."

Amelia pouted then. "Well, if that's the case I don't know if he's going to like me if he keeps talking like that."

Godric smirked at that, bending down to kiss her chastely. He pulled back and let his hand sweep over her cheek. "I shall have a word with him," he assured her. "You should go and rest. The sun will rise soon. I will ensure you meet properly with Eric tomorrow evening."

"Fine," Amelia said with a nod. "I will see you tonight then."

"You will," Godric spoke, bending to kiss her once more, leaving her flushed as he pulled back and walked with her towards the hall. Before she moved up the steps and Godric to his office, he moved a hand to the small of her back. "And Amelia," he said in a low voice, his hand slipping down to squeeze her backside for a second. "You really do have a nice ass."

He saw her flush even further then, unable to form a sentence as he smirked and chuckled, moving away and towards his office, a sense of joy inside of him despite what had happened. Amelia remained on the staircase as she saw him leave her. She knew that her cheeks had gone even redder than before as she rolled her eyes and finally moved up the steps, wondering how she could quell the desire she suddenly found inside of her for Godric. She could only smile as she knew that he felt the same for once.

…

A/N: Another long chapter. Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed and followed this story. Again, it means a lot to know that you guys are enjoying it just as much as I love writing it. Do let me know what you think!


	21. Chapter 21

Stepping into his office, Godric looked to his son with pursed lips. Eric was already lounging in the chair that Amelia once occupied, his hands playing with the book Amelia had been reading. He tossed it back onto the table before looking to his maker who went to take his seat behind his desk. Eric's brows furrowed as he moved to his feet and sauntered over to the desk, sitting down opposite Godric.

"Jane Eyre?" he questioned his maker. "So you have fallen for a hopeless romantic?"

Godric remained impassive, looking to his progeny with his brow arched. It took him a second before he responded, ignoring Eric's comment. He laced his fingers together, resting them on top of the desk as he leaned forwards.

"You did not need to be so crass to her, Eric," Godric said. "I thought that I had warned you to be nice."

Eric's shoulders shrugged up and down, leaning back in the seat and resting his hands on top of his stomach. "I was just stating a fact," Eric commented. "I could smell the arousal when I walked in. Have you not fucked her yet? I take it she has yet to witness your full prowess? She looked like such a prude."

"Eric," Godric warned him. "Amelia is a lovely young woman and, no, to answer your question, I have yet to bed her."

"Bed her?" Eric questioned his maker, amusement in his voice as he shifted in his seat, folding one leg over the other. "Do you think we have returned to the 1800s? You are not pretending to be a Lord, Godric. She is no Lady."

"Perhaps you are in need of some romance in your life, my son," Godric said, a teasing tone to his child if he wanted to behave in such a manner. "You are coming across as a slightly bitter old vampire."

Eric scoffed then and rolled his eyes at hearing his maker. "You were the one who taught me my feelings as a vampire, Godric," Eric spoke. "I just don't understand what has happened. You…you care for so few people…and she has just walked into your life and besotted you. Is she some kind of witch?"

"No, Eric, she is no witch," Godric responded. "She is simply a young woman I have fallen for."

"I get that," Eric said, eyes wide as he shrugged, "I mean, I don't really understand how she has done this to you, but I get that you have fallen for her, but I want to know how. You taught me all that I think about humans. They are beneath us. They were simply food to you at one stage."

"A lot has changed, Eric," Godric said, sitting back and keeping his hands balled together. "I am no longer the same vampire. I have had time to think about everything…about everything that I have done. We are not so different, you know? Vampires and humans are very similar."

Eric scoffed and shook his head. "I can't believe this," Eric mumbled. "I just don't understand how you can say these things. I don't understand it, Godric."

"When you have been alive as long as I have then you might," Godric mused. "Perhaps you might even meet a human of your own one day, my son? Perhaps then you will grow to understand and not be so stubborn in your ways."

Eric shook his head. "I doubt any human would grow close enough to me," he said.

"I thought the same at one stage," Godric told him. "Eric, you knew how I felt about humans, but it all grew to be tiring. I spent time understanding them…studying them…seeing how they are not so different to us. We can be monsters if we so choose to be, but so can they and I worry that we have made them that way."

"We should not apologise for what we are."

"No, we should not," Godric agreed with that, "but we should learn to co-exist with them. We should learn that peace is better than war."

"And is that what you are doing with the human? You are learning to co-exist?" Eric demanded from Godric.

Shaking his head, Godric closed his eyes for a second before looking back to Eric. "I know that I have taught you everything that I believed, Eric," Godric said. "I do not expect you to understand why I feel this way about Amelia, but I do. I care for her very much. If you simply took the time to get to know her then you might be able to see what I see. You might be able to understand that she…yes, she is a human. Yes, she is weaker than we are…unable to close off her emotions…but she is kind and considerate. She is funny. She is not very graceful, but that is quite endearing. She is not that different to us, Eric."

Eric sniffed at that, looking away from his maker and shaking his head. It took him a couple of moments to compose his own thoughts. He didn't entirely know what he should be saying to Godric. A part of him had wondered if he could change his maker's mind about the human. It appeared that he was too far gone, however. His feelings for the human were deeper than Eric had thought.

"And when she ages?" Eric wondered, finally looking back to Godric as he said the final thing that he could think of. "She will age, Godric. She will grow old and she will die eventually. What then? Or do you intend to turn her?"

Godric did seem uncomfortable about that. He let his eyes flicker over his son's shoulder and Eric saw how his maker's lips pursed into a straight and thin line. It was another few seconds before Godric spoke, his voice softer than it had been before.

"I have thought of it," Godric said with a firm nod. "I have thought about what the right thing to do would be and I know that would be to let her go and live a normal life…let her have the sun…let her have children and marry a man who can give her a normal life."

"Why do I sense that there is a but?" Eric wondered.

"But a part of me is still that selfish vampire from years ago," Godric admitted, his gaze seeming to darken. "I want her to be mine. I want her to be by my side. You know how I can be, Eric…the thought of another man laying any claim to her does not bode well with me now...not now that she has admitted how she feels about me."

"You wish to claim her?" Eric asked. "You wish to make her your human until you decide what to do with her?"

"Eric," Godric frowned at his child's choice of words. "I will not be the one to decide what to do. She will be the one who decides. If she, eventually, wishes to spend eternity with me then so be it, but if she chooses to remain human then I will let her go. I will let her live a normal life."

"And what do you think she shall choose?" Eric wondered.

Godric moved to his feet, hands behind his back as he wandered through his office, pacing up and down.

"I do not know," Godric admitted. "I know what she should choose. I know what I want her to choose if I stop being so selfish. However, she has only just admitted how she feels to me. I have no intention of scaring her away by demanding an answer so soon. She has time…we both have time."

"But time to humans is different than time to us," Eric said. "In the blink of an eye she will be old."

"I will cross that bridge one day, but today is not that day," Godric said and Eric sensed that was the end of the conversation. "Anyway, why are you here? I did not inform you that we had returned from France."

"No," Eric drawled lowly. "However, Stan did inform me that you were returning when he phoned me and asked me about visiting Fangtasia."

"I did not know Stan intended to visit Shreveport," Godric said. "However, that would explain why you are here. The sun is almost up and I have a guest room for you to use. I trust you remember your way around the nest?"

"I have an incline," Eric said and moved to his feet, tucking his long hair behind his ears before looking to Godric. "So I get to meet the human when I wake this evening?"

"Her name is Amelia, Eric," Godric responded, his face stoic as he returned to his seat. "But, yes, you shall meet her this evening if you so wish it. I must implore you to be nice and try not to embarrass her. She…well…"

"She's touchy?" Eric asked and Godric felt the urge to roll his eyes.

"She is human," Godric settled on. "Go and rest, Eric. I will see you when you wake."

Eric nodded and left his maker alone in his office. Godric let himself remain where he was for a few seconds, his hands resting on his thighs before he moved up. Wandering through the house, he turned the lights out before taking the steps up to his own bedroom. He didn't get far, however, when he found Amelia walking back downstairs. She was still in her pyjamas although her hair now hung loose. Standing one step above Godric, she looked down to him as he looked to her, sensing that she had a question for him.

"Have you trouble sleeping?" Godric enquired from her.

"No…well…I haven't tried," Amelia admitted. "I need to talk to you. It will only take a minute before you go and rest for the day."

"What is it?" Godric wondered from Amelia.

She moved down the final step and took hold of his hand, dragging him back into the office. He let her keep hold of his hand as she closed the door behind her and Godric arched a brow.

"Do you intend to have your wicked way with me before I rest, Amelia?" he asked as he saw her lock the door and she turned back to him and rolled her eyes. Moving to her toes, she pecked him on the lips as he moved an arm around her waist, hauling her body closer to his as she moaned against his mouth once she felt him bite down on her bottom lip.

It took her a few moments before she needed to gain her breath, a hand on Godric's chest as she leaned back from him.

"As tempting as that sounds, you do need to rest," Amelia said. "And I did actually come down here to ask you a question."

"And what question would that be?" Godric wondered, a hand pushing through her silky hair.

"Does he know?" Amelia wondered from Godric. "I mean…about how you felt…"

"Ah," Godric said, well aware of what she was talking about. He shook his head at her, his eyes still set on hers as she moved a hand to his shoulder. "No, he does not know how I felt, nor do I wish for him to know."

"I thought not," Amelia muttered. "I just didn't want to put my foot in it."

"I imagine not," Godric mused. "Amelia, what I thought and what I had intended to do…Eric does not need to know. I know that he is my child and, believe me, I do not entirely like the idea of keeping things from him, but he does not need to know how I felt."

"Okay," Amelia nodded to him. "That's fine. I won't tell him anything."

"Thank you," Godric said sincerely. "Come, we need to rest if you do not intend to ruin me."

Amelia laughed softly at that, moving her hands into his hair as she felt him grab hold of her thighs, hauling her up against his body until her legs were back around his waist and he kept his hands firmly planted on her legs, refusing to let her go.

"I doubt anything could ruin you," Amelia said. "You have two thousand years experience on me."

"Indeed, I do," Godric said, looking to her as she felt herself grow warm under his stare, imagining just what he could have learned in that time. God, she didn't know what had turned inside of her, but all she could think about was being with Godric.

Moving with haste, she lowered her head, taking him slightly off guard as she kissed him, the motion heavy and fast as Godric moved with her still wrapped around his waist, his hands now skimming over her backside and to her back, crumpling up the shirt she wore to bed as he finally felt her back against the wall, allowing him to keep her there as she moved her hands to his shirt, tugging it from his body, her fingers fiddling with the buttons.

Godric pulled back then, his lips moving to her neck as he kissed along it, his own hands going to her shirt as he tugged on the buttons, but instead of waiting, he ripped them off, growing impatient.

"Hey!" Amelia complained as the shirt hung in two, leaving a slither of skin to his gaze as she felt him move his lips down her neck to the bare skin. She moaned loudly as he continued southwards, kissing over her stomach as he lowered her to stand on her own two feet. Panting for breath, Amelia felt her cheeks flush as he hooked his fingers into her bottoms. "I thought you were tired?" she taunted him.

"I find myself suddenly very much awake," Godric mumbled as he kissed her stomach.

"Oh…I mean…I wouldn't want to interrupt your beauty sleep," she said and Godric peered up to her, seeing the teasing look on her face as he tugged her bottoms down her legs and grasped hold of her thighs.

"Perhaps I can silence your smart mouth?" Godric suggested and Amelia leaned back against the wall.

"I doubt it," she mumbled.

Godric arched a brow and chuckled. "I like the idea of a challenge," he told her and Amelia thought of a witty response but as soon as she heard his fangs snick downwards and his breath warm her inner thigh, any sense of conversation left her. A hand buried in his hair as she bucked her hips and tried to focus on not moaning too loudly and giving him all of the satisfaction.

…

Amelia had no idea how they had managed to get her to guest room, but somehow they had ended up there. The last thing she remembered was Godric carrying her up the stairs, her legs twisted around his waist where they had remained as they tumbled onto the bed. The day had well and truly begun and Amelia had urged Godric to rest in the end. She didn't think that he would stay in her bed and rest. Then again, she didn't think she would have sex with him in his office, so what did she know?

They both feel asleep, completely entwined in each other. It was about eight hours later when Amelia woke up. She pulled on another pair of pyjamas considering Godric had destroyed hers. She watched him sleep for a few moments, his body completely bare and covered only by the duvet that he had pulled up to his waist. Amelia confessed she was exhausted herself as she collapsed besides him and he managed to peel his eyes open to turn his head to the side to look to her.

"You okay?" Godric mumbled and she nodded as she moved to rest her hand against his chest

"I'm still pretty exhausted," she muttered back to him before she felt him move an arm to wrap around her waist, dragging her body to his. She let her head collapse on top of his chest. She felt him move the hand around her waist to the ends of her hair, tangling in it and twisting it around his finger while his other hand moved over his body to clasp hold of her fingers that she had resting besides her cheek on his chest.

"I'd suggest a round two, but I suppose you're too tired for that," Godric informed her.

She laughed once and squeezed his hand, kissing his neck quickly before looking him in the eye. "I think you had round two this morning…and round three and four," Amelia said.

Godric arched a brow. "Are you complaining? I didn't hear you complaining last night."

"I am a human," Amelia said. "I can't keep up with you."

"Well, we will have to work on your stamina," Godric said. "Believe me, if I had my way then I-"

"-I hope I'm not interrupting."

Amelia jumped as she looked over to the door to see Eric stood there in the doorway. She glowered over to him, her eyes narrow and her face thunder as she saw him stood there. There was no remorse on his face. However, he didn't entirely look like he had done last night. He looked stern. He looked concerned.

Godric sat up slightly, his eyes moving to his progeny as Amelia also sat up and pulled the duvet to her chin. She continued to glare at Eric as she spoke, her tone snarky: "Do you have such an objection to knocking on doors?" she demanded from him.

"It's important," Eric snapped back, silencing her.

"What is it, my child?" Godric enquired from him, any sense of annoyance at being interrupted disappearing from his face.

"Isabel called, but I doubt you heard the phone," Eric said. "She has news. She is on her way back from Hugo's house. She should be here in just under an hour."

"News?" Godric enquired. "Is it about the vampire?"

"She said so," Eric nodded.

"I will dress and wait for her," Godric said.

Eric moved out of the doorway and Amelia waited until he had gone from the room before looking to Godric who was in the process of picking up his discarded clothes, slipping his pants over his legs before looking to Amelia as she moved to her wardrobe and grabbed hold of a pair of jeans and a jumper.

"He didn't sound happy," Amelia observed as Godric nodded.

"I know," he said. "I need to go and change, Amelia. Meet me in the kitchen, okay?"

"Okay," Amelia nodded her head to him and he brushed her cheek with his fingers, kissing her tenderly before leaving her to change.

She quickly stripped from her pyjamas before climbing into her pair of jeans and her grey jumper. She forewent the shower, not wanting to waste time. Moving her feet into her ballet pumps, she tugged her fingers through her hair and let out a deep breath. Clearly Isabel had news. This would be better than living in the dark. Amelia moved down to the kitchen to find Godric already there, dressed in grey sweatpants with a long white shirt. He was stood with Eric as Amelia folded her arms over her chest.

"Amelia," Godric spoke her name in a soft voice as soon as he saw her. She smiled to him as he continued to watch her. "Now that you are dressed, I believe that a proper greeting with my child is in order."

"I think we're past that, Godric," Amelia said, looking to Eric. "Considering he's seen me in various states of undress."

"I wouldn't worry too much," Eric said. "I've seen plenty of women naked before."

"I do not doubt it," Amelia responded. "Regardless, you're Godric's progeny and I'm not here to fight with you."

Eric arched an amused brow, his lip quirking upwards. "Do you think that you could fight with me and win?" he wondered from her.

"Not physically," Amelia scoffed. "I'm not an idiot, but I don't like people who piss me off."

"And did I piss you off?"

"If you keep on walking in on me during intimate moments then yeah, you'll start to piss me off," Amelia said and she brushed by him to make herself a cup of herbal tea to calm her nerves.

Godric looked to Eric who remained amused, turning his head over his shoulder to look down onto the feisty human. He turned back to look to Godric, his brows knitting together as a smirk remained on his face. Godric sent him a warning glance before Eric looked back to Amelia.

"Perhaps I will learn how to knock," he commented.

Folding her arms, she leaned back against the worktop, "I think that might be for the best," she said to him. "Anyway, it's nice to finally meet you."

"Look at you being pleasant," Eric spoke.

"Eric," Godric warned him.

"Apologies, maker," Eric said and Amelia noted how he did sound sincere. "I am certain that your human will get used to me eventually…if she sticks around."

"I don't intend on going anywhere," Amelia said before Godric could speak. She looked to Eric, her eyes wide and earnest as she spoke in a gentle tone. "I care for your maker very much. I know that is weird for you considering the history between both of you, but I care for him and I would never hurt him."

"Good," Eric said, "because if I find out that you do then I will hunt you down."

"Fine," Amelia shrugged her shoulders.

"I do not think that will be necessary," Godric said, not wishing for the two of them to enter a game of who was the most loyal. "Amelia is a kind woman, Eric, you do not need to worry about her hurting me. Regardless, I do not like you speaking about me while I am in the room."

"Sorry," Amelia muttered.

"I do not mean to be rude, maker," Eric said. "I simply wish to make certain you are safe."

"And I know your love for me is as deep as my love for you," Godric promised him, "yet I am content. I am happy. You do not need to fret over me."

Amelia saw the two of them exchange an intense stare as she finished making her herbal tea. She held the mug in her hands before they heard the front door open. Their eyes turned to the door to see Isabel walking into the room, a folder under her arm. Amelia somehow found herself drifting towards Godric as he nodded to Isabel.

"Let us go to my office."

Godric placed a hand on the small of Amelia's back as Isabel walked ahead and Eric behind them. Entering the office, Godric took his seat behind his desk as Amelia stood besides him, clinging onto her mug. Isabel took a seat across from Godric and Eric sat down next to her. Amelia bit down on her lip as she felt Godric tug weakly on her wrist, urging her to sit down on the arm of his leather chair. She perched there before feeling him wrap an arm around her waist.

"You have news, Isabel?" Godric began the conversation. She moved to place the folder onto the desk, sliding it across to Godric.

Opening it up, he looked down onto the photo of the vampire. He had cropped blond hair and a slim, yet tall and muscular stature. His eyes were a piercing brown and he had a strong jaw line. Amelia felt her mouth gape, her hands slipping as she struggled to keep hold of her mug. Godric felt her tense in his grip and drop the mug. He moved with haste, catching it before she could let it fall to the floor. He placed it down onto the desk and looked back to the photo, knowing exactly what Amelia was thinking.

"I found out as much as I could about him," Isabel said, looking down to the folder as Eric stood up and peered down over it himself. "He was turned in 1946, just after the war. His maker was an old vampire…born in about 1649, but he met the sun in a terror attack last month."

"This vampire," Isabel continued, pointing to the photo, "he…he has been living in Germany for the past sixteen years. He's notorious for his belief in the Sanguinista movement. The Authority have been trying to find him for a while to get him to answer for his beliefs, but he has been moving around. He…back in 1947 he was accused of murdering his wife and he fled the US."

"Did you know about this?" Godric addressed Amelia, moving a hand up and down her side.

"I had no idea," Amelia said, her eyes wide as she shook her head. "He never said anything…I mean…he never said he was a vampire."

"Who is it?" Eric was the one to ask as Amelia looked down to the name on the file.

"Ben Manderly," Godric spoke his name.

"And he is?"

"Will's brother," Amelia answered.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	22. Chapter 22

Godric sensed Amelia's shock instantly as she continued to stare down and onto the folder Isabel had presented them. Godric had kept his arm firmly around her waist, holding tightly onto her as he continued looking to the folder, his eyes set on the photograph of the vampire. Looking up after a second, Godric's gaze moved to Isabel.

"How did you find him?" he asked from her.

"I called in some favours from some vampires in Europe who I knew," Isabel spoke. "Someone recognised him from the Authority and looked into him for me. They contacted some of our colleagues in Europe and this is what I got. He's…well…he doesn't sound exactly like someone we want to be associating with, but he is younger than all of us."

"Younger and more foolish," Godric mused. "And he is a believer of the Sanguinista movement?"

"What is that?" Amelia finally asked.

"The Sanguinista Movement is a faction of vampires who are against mainstreaming," Godric explained to her. "They read our vampire bible very literally as it states that humans are nothing but food for us…any relationship between humans and vampires is considered wrong in their eyes. Their group is small and for the most part live in hiding."

"And Ben is one of them?" Amelia checked.

"It seems so," Isabel nodded her head. "The Authority have been working to try and catch him, but he is living in hiding and they have had no luck."

Godric turned to look back up to Amelia. "What do you know about him, Amelia?"

Amelia shrugged. "Not much," she admitted to him. "Will told me that he had a human brother, but he left his life behind when he became a vampire. He was turned during the war after a vampire found him dying. He went back to his home in New York for a few weeks, but he knew that he couldn't stay. He…he told his mother what he was and she…well…she understood after time, but he didn't want to stay with her and put her in danger. She was ill and he stayed as long as he could before people got suspicious. Apparently people were less tolerant of vampires back them. I assume he told Ben too."

"And that is all you know?" Godric continued to push her and she nodded.

"I knew that Will said he had married a woman called Margaret when he got back from the war, but that was it," Amelia said. "Will thought that he had died. He said…he said that they never got along very well. Ben was a drinker. He was older than Will and he used to be volatile when he had alcohol. Will told Margaret all of this, but she thought that she could change him…apparently she left him a year into the marriage and returned back home. Will never said what happened after that. He left New York and returned back to Europe."

"He murdered his wife," Eric said with a scoff. "I think we know exactly what happened after that."

"He killed her just after he was turned," Isabel said. "There's no motive, but I think we can assume it was either revenge for leaving him or jealousy that she had found someone else."

"Jesus," Amelia whispered and shook her head. "How did Will not find out about this?"

"If he was living in Europe then he might not have heard of the news," Godric spoke. "It might have been that he turned his back on that life once his mother died and he thought that Margaret had found safety."

"Maybe," Amelia responded with a nod, "but I cannot understand why Ben would not have looked for Will. He knew that he was a vampire."

"If their relationship was strained then he might not have bothered," Eric said. "Not everyone has the perfect, happy family."

"I know that," Amelia said firmly. "I just thought that Will might have known if his brother was a vampire and if the Authority were looking for him. I mean, did no one from the Authority contact him? He was his brother. He would have wanted to help."

"That's the thing," Isabel said. "Ben Manderly doesn't exist. According to the record books he died in 1950. There is a death certificate. There is a grave. Will would not have been linked to him. He has been going by a different name; Joshua Rosen."

Eric's brows knitted together. "Then how did you find out his true identity?"

Her lips quirked as she turned her gaze to Eric. "Do you doubt my investigative prowess?" she wondered from him. "It took me a while, but I wanted to be certain that I was right. As soon as I saw a clear photo of him I couldn't help but recognise how much he looked like Will. I did some digging and found out where he was supposed to be buried, but I had one of my friends in New York go to the site and there was no coffin. There was nothing."

Godric arched a brow. "And you kept this from me?" he wondered from her.

"I did not wish to burden you, Sheriff," Isabel said. "I wanted to be certain that I was right before I gave you this information. I did not want to cause needless concern or curiosity…to you or your human."

Amelia would have objected at being called his human, but she didn't even care. She could only try to follow what she was hearing, wondering if any of it was possible.

"And we are certain it is him?" Godric checked.

"I drew up a photo of him when he was serving and compared it to the most recent one the Authority has and I am certain," Isabel said. "He is still supposed to be living in Germany, but after checking into his credit card transactions he is no longer there. He booked a flight from Paris to California the other night."

"So he will be in the States," Godric said, his tone dark as Isabel nodded.

"But why?" Amelia wondered with a firm shrug of her shoulders. "Why would he come to California?"

But Amelia didn't wait for an answer. She already knew.

"Mom," she spoke in a small voice, remembering how her mother had told her she was heading to California.

Amelia reached into her pocket and pulled her cell out, quickly searching for her mother's name before pressing the call button. She heard the ringing on the other end as Godric watched her begin to pace, moving into the hall as she struggled to stand still. She only stopped once the call connected.

"Mom," she told him before placing the phone to her ear and leaving the office. "Mom, where are you? Are you okay? Mom, talk to me."

"Amelia…thank God…I…I need you to stay away, okay? I need you not to listen to anything that he is going to say-" Her mother was cut off, her loud scream echoing down the phone as Amelia moved a hand against the wall in the hallway, her eyes widening and her throat clenching, fear evident in her gaze.

"Mom!" Amelia snapped down the phone. "Mom! Where are you?"

At her pleading yells, Godric was instantly away from the office and besides her. He moved to her side as she reached out for him, moving to take hold of his arm, her fingers curling around it tightly. Eric and Isabel stood in the doorway of the study, looking into the hall and listening into the phone call.

"Well, well, well, little Amelia Jones," a man's voice spoke down the phone and chuckled darkly. "Like mother, like daughter, I assume. Both of you are filthy sluts…not worthy of being involved with us…those above you. You are nothing but food."

"What the fuck have you done to my mother?" Amelia snarled, her voice loud.

He laughed down the phone once again. "Oh, she will be safe," he promised her, "but you, on the other hand, will not be."

Godric felt his fangs begin to drop at hearing the threat, but he kept himself composed, knowing that there was no other option. It took him a moment before the vampire on the other end of the phone spoke again.

"Now, listen closely, Amelia," he said. "I know what you did to my brother. I know how you got him killed. I thought that he had finally been sensible and left you…realised that humans were pathetic…but then I found out the truth. I found out what you and your family had done to him."

"I did nothing to him!" Amelia snapped. "I loved your brother. I never wanted-"

"-You lying slut!" he responded with haste, interrupting her. "I have a friend in the AVL who told me that he had been found and was being kept hidden. They told me that he had Hep V. They told me that your father had given it to him and you…you did that to him…you were the one who killed him!"

"No," Amelia said firmly. "I never wanted this. I never wanted to see him dead."

"You saw to it that he died," he snapped. "I know that my brother despised me, but he was my brother. I kept my eye on him when I could…and then I saw that he was with you…a filthy human…but then he disappeared only to come back with Hep V. He would still be alive if it were not for you. I could have persuaded him to join me…"

"Will would never have joined you," Amelia said with confidence. "He was good."

"And look where that got him," Ben hissed. "But you see, Amelia, you took my brother from me and so I shall make you pay. I shall make you suffer."

"No," Amelia said, "just don't hurt my mother."

"Oh, she will be fine if you do as I say," he responded. "She is currently tied up right now, but if you come to us then I will let her go free."

"Fine," Amelia said without thinking and Godric felt a snarl in his throat.

"But there is a catch, Amelia," Ben spoke. "If I find out that you have brought anyone else here then I will shoot her as soon as I see anyone. The entire warehouse is covered with CCTV, so don't even think about trying to bring the one they call Death with you."

Amelia wondered what he was going on about, but she said nothing. She knew that he must have been talking about Godric, but she had never heard anyone call Godric that before.

"Fine," Amelia said again. "Where is she?"

"I will text you the address," Ben said to her. "I expect you to be here before the sun rises, is that understood?"

"Yes," Amelia said. "Just don't hurt her-"

"-You are in no position to be making demands," he interrupted. "So wait for my instructions."

He hung up then and Amelia looked down onto her cell as she felt tears well in her eyes and she looked to the three vampires.

"Well it seems there is a mole in the AVL," Eric spoke.

But Godric was already planning in his mind, looking between Isabel and Eric before his eyes settled on his underling.

"Can you hack into the CCTV system and loop the image to give us time to sneak in?" he demanded from Isabel, knowing full well that she had more experience with technology than he could ever have hoped to have.

"I don't think it should be that difficult if I can access it remotely," she shrugged. "I'll need to get close enough to the warehouse to pick up a signal."

"If we can sneak in then we can take him by surprise," Godric nodded. "Get the equipment ready. We will take the Mercedes."

Isabel nodded and moved off to her room before Godric looked to Eric. "I trust that I have your help in this?"

"Always, maker," Eric said.

Godric nodded before he felt Amelia hold onto his arm. Looking up to him, she shook her head. "Godric, he has my mom," she said in a small voice. "If he does anything to hurt her…to harm her…"

"It will not come to that," Godric promised her. "But I need you to understand, Amelia, I have no intention of letting you go in there without me. You are not facing this vampire alone. Is that understood?"

"And when he sees you?" Amelia demanded from him. "What happens when he sees you there? If he has a gun to my mother's head then it will take him merely seconds to pull that trigger. He…if he does that…if he kills her…"

"I am faster than he will be. We will take him by surprise."

"No," Amelia said firmly. "Godric, I can't take that chance. This is my mother…just…let me go in first for a moment until I know that he is away from her. Please."

"No," Godric responded, his voice stern. "If I give him even a second of breathing room then who is to say that he won't snap your neck in an instant?"

"He might," Amelia answered honestly with a shrug of her shoulders. "But if he even gets a whiff of you being there then my mom is the one at risk. Besides, I think that he is a talker. He likes talking…making things about him…he won't want to kill me instantly. I think he will want to drag it out. Please, Godric, just listen to me for once. Just think about this…about my mom."

"Perhaps the human is right, maker?" Eric suggested and Godric turned his glare onto him. "She need only be in there for a moment before we make a move, but it might be that moment that we need for him to be distracted."

Godric said nothing further as Amelia felt her cell vibrate and she looked down onto the text she had received.

"I've got the address," she said.

"Eric, fly over and scope out the building. Do not land anywhere near it. Meet us back at the car. I will text you where we are parked."

"Understood," Eric nodded and moved to look at the cell screen before rushing outside as Amelia remained with Godric.

He looked down to her, his gaze intense as his hand moved to her cheek. "I am a two thousand year old vampire, Amelia," he spoke, his voice dark as he continued to cup her cheek in his fingers. "I have dealt with numerous threats in my existence. A vampire like him…less than a hundred with no control…is hardly a threat."

Amelia pushed his hand from her cheek as she looked to him. "He has my mother, Godric," she snapped at him. "That makes him a threat in my eyes."

Moving with haste, Godric dared to wrap her into his arms, but this time she didn't fight him as she moved her own arms back around him.

"Just listen to me and do as I ask. I promise that we will get her back."

…

Sitting in the backseat of the car, Amelia kept her lips pursed. They were parked a block away from the abandoned warehouse that Ben had told them to come to. Amelia looked to the driver's seat where Godric sat, his hand still holding the steering wheel despite the fact they hadn't moved in ten minutes. Isabel was sat next door, her fingers typing ferociously on the keyboard as she did everything in her power to hack into the CCTV.

Eric finally climbed into the car, slipping into the seat next to Amelia as Godric turned to look behind to his progeny.

"What did you discover?"

"Not as much as I had hoped," Eric said. "Flying over the warehouse I can see that there isn't much to it. The steel roof looks like it might collapse under our weight, but there are four doors around it. The main one is to the west. I think that is the one he will expect Amelia to walk through."

"I see," Godric said.

"So what is the plan?" Eric wondered.

"You wait by the side door," Godric spoke with a nod. "Amelia will go in through the main door and I will wait behind her. I-"

"-And if he hears you?" Amelia interrupted him.

"No one will hear us," Eric spoke. "Besides, your heavy breathing will distract him enough, believe us."

"I'm serious, Godric," Amelia said and he finally turned to look to her. "You can't come in with me until he is away from my mother."

"Amelia-"

"-No," Amelia interrupted. "Come in and attack him as soon as he is away from my mother, but until then…don't…I can't risk her. Please. Just do this."

Godric said nothing. He had no intention of sitting back and letting Amelia go in there on her own. He chose to not answer her, knowing that she would only argue with him. He could deal with this threat. He could handle it.

"The CCTV is on a loop," Isabel said. "I need to stay here and keep re-programming it, though."

"Of course," Godric said. "We will move now. We follow my plan and everything will be fine."

Amelia climbed from the car and began moving towards the warehouse, walking the block with as much speed as she could. She didn't argue with Godric, knowing that there would be no point. Godric walked to one side of her while Eric loitered behind, hands in his jean pockets. Amelia felt Godric take hold of her fingers, holding her hand inside of his as he gaze it a quick squeeze, silently promising her that everything would be okay.

Once they were outside the warehouse, Amelia looked around. There was an empty car park and the steel building was derelict and looked as though it was about to collapse. Amelia let out a shaky breath as she saw the double doors and Godric moved to grab hold of her wrist, placing his finger to her mouth and leaning down, whispering into her ear so that no one could hear.

"Stay in the doorway," he demanded from her. "Do not engage with him and do not move from where I can see you. As soon as he is away from your mother, place your hand behind your back. I will make my move then."

Amelia nodded at that and Godric looked to Eric. He moved to the Viking and Eric lowered his neck, allowing his maker to whisper into his ear. Godric did so, his voice calm and low. "As soon as you hear me call your name, you make certain Amelia's mother is safe."

Eric nodded then and Godric looked between both of them. It took a moment before Amelia nodded and the three of them moved off. Godric stood behind the main door, looking on as Eric took off down the side. Amelia looked to Godric one final time and he nodded his head, urging for her to do it and stay in his line of sight. She pushed the doors then, letting them open onto the space. She remained stood where she was, firmly planted to the floor.

Looking into the warehouse, there were only three lights dangling from the high ceilings. Amelia couldn't help but think how much it looked like a horror film. Her mother was on the other side of the room, tied to a chair and gagged, her cheeks stained with tears and her eyes wide and full of fear. Amelia looked to her and remembered what Godric had told her to do. She had to stay where she was and where he could see her.

Her eyes moved from her mother to see the vampire stood in the middle of the room, a gun held in his fingers and aimed at her mother. Amelia let out a shaky breath.

"Let her go," Amelia spoke, hands firmly by her side. "She is innocent in all of this."

"I doubt it," the vampire scoffed, "but she does taste delicious."

It was then when Amelia saw the dried blood on her mother's neck and she felt slightly ill at the thought of that monster hurting her.

"I'm here now," Amelia said, trying to sound braver than she felt. "My mother did nothing to Will and neither did I. I loved your brother…he was perfect…he was everything to me…I would never have wanted to hurt him."

"But you did!" the vampire roared. "You were the one who killed him! I knew that being involved with a human would do nothing but bring him pain. As soon as I saw it…as soon as I saw that photo of him with you, I knew that I had to try to save him, but when I came to New York he was gone. He had disappeared and you were engaged to someone else."

"I never knew," Amelia simply said. "I never knew what my father was doing to him."

"And then they told me…Dean from the AVL told me how Nan Flanagan had found him…and he was dying…from Hep V."

Amelia wondered who this Dean was, but she suspected that Nan Flanagan would not be happy with him when she found out that he was a traitor. She could only imagine how pissed off she would be. But Amelia said nothing about that. She kept silent, gulping loudly as she longed to turn and look to Godric. But she remained strong, her gaze remaining on Ben as he raked a hand through his blond hair.

"I never got a chance to go to him and try to make things right."

"You had over sixty years to do that," Amelia said.

"I spent most of that learning from my maker," Ben said. "He wanted me to be strong enough before I reached out to anyone else. He wanted me to see what we were…and I did…I spent years learning…studying…realising that we are superior. We are the superior creatures and I would have shown Will that. He would have seen it. He would have seen you for what you really are…a using, little whore."

"I loved him!" Amelia snapped out loud, struggling to compose herself. "I loved your brother and he would never have joined you…he would never have harmed humans like you do."

"Because you killed him before he could see!" he yelled at her and then he moved forwards, the gun aimed at Amelia as she shakily moved her hand behind her back and Godric rushed forwards then.

Before Ben could get to Amelia, Godric was there in an instant, bumping into the vampire and his hand curling around his throat. Both of their fangs dropped down as Godric called out for his progeny and Eric rushed into the warehouse, instantly going for Marianna and untying her, hauling her into his arms as her limp body struggled to hold itself upwards.

Ben attempted to get into a better position to fight Godric from him, but the older vampire was stronger and quicker. He had Ben pushed up against the wall, holding him in the air as he continued to thrash. Looking up to him, Godric snarled as Amelia rushed forwards to her mother, seeing her in Eric's arms.

"Mom," Amelia gasped loudly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Marianna said.

"You were a fool for thinking that she would come here alone," Godric said, his voice full of knowing.

"I know who you are," Ben said. "We all know who you are."

"Then my reputation precedes me," Godric spoke. "And I will not stand here and listen to this."

"She deserves this…she is a human…she is food…she killed my brother!"

"She tried to save your brother," Godric responded. "Although I can see why your brother wanted nothing to do with you. You truly are a piece of work."

"You'll see one day," he said. "You'll all see that I was right."

"I doubt it," Godric said and before Ben could do anything further, Godric had moved and snapped his neck, tearing it from his body as he turned into a pile of blood on the floor. Amelia covered her hand over her mouth and Godric was soon covered in blood.

He turned to look to her, nodding his head as he saw her look at him gratefully as she held onto her mother's hand.

…

"She is resting in my bed," Amelia said as she stood in front of Godric in the kitchen in the nest. Godric had showered and changed, dressed now in loose fitting white pants and a grey jumper. He had just made her a mug of herbal tea, passing it over to her as she stood on one side of the island and he stood on the other.

"Thank you," Amelia said as she took the cup of tea and Godric folded his arms onto the worktop as he leaned forwards.

"How is she?" Godric asked.

"She is fine," Amelia said. "I mean, she is pretty shaken. She said that he found her while she was out doing some grocery shopping. Jack was back at the apartment they've rented in California. He glamoured her and brought her here to Dallas…he drank from her…but thankfully…he didn't force her to drink his blood."

"She can stay here for as long as she requires," Godric said.

"Thanks," Amelia said. "She called Jack and told him where she was. He was in the process of working with the police to find her."

"Why didn't he call you?"

"He didn't have my number and the cell you gave me is a burner. Only my mom had the number," Amelia answered.

"I see," Godric nodded his head. "But it is going to be okay now, Amelia. He isn't going to bother you anymore."

"He…Godric...I just want to thank you," Amelia said. "I want to thank all of you for what you've done. You saved my mom," she said in a small voice, peering to look across to him as she blinked back tears. "You saved my mom and that means more to me than you'll ever know."

Godric reached across to take hold of her hand, squeezing it in his fingers. "I think I do know," he whispered to her. "Amelia, I am simply happy that you are both safe. You…well…what he said was all a lie. Will loved you. Will did not blame you for what happened. Ben was wrong."

"I know," Amelia nodded and dared to move around the worktop, placing her mug on the surface. She moved slowly to sit down on the stool, as Godric remained stood in front of her. "I just can't get over the fact that Will even had a brother like him. I mean…I know he said that he couldn't stand his brother when he was a human, but if he had known him as a vampire…I just…I just wonder what he would have said."

"Well," Godric began, moving to take hold of one of Amelia's hands, "I never knew Will very well, but I knew enough. I knew that he would have been disgusted with him. He would never have listened to him or believed him."

"I know," Amelia sighed. "I just…I'm hoping that it's all over now. I just want it to be over and we can move on."

"I think that we can do that now," Godric said to her. "However, Nan Flanagan has been informed of the mole in her ranks and that Ben has been taken care of. She is not happy, but I think she is relieved that she knows. Of course, she didn't sound appreciative when I spoke to her."

"I doubt she ever does," Amelia scoffed and shook her head.

"Eric and Isabel have gone to rest already," Godric said. "I should go and rest too."

"I'm going to go and stay with my mom for the day," Amelia said to him.

"Of course," Godric said and dropped her hand before he felt her move a hand to his cheek, her fingers stroking it soothingly as he kept his gaze on her. "What is it, Amelia?" he wondered, sensing that she had something she wanted to say. But she shook her head.

"I don't know," she said, "I just…I don't know," she settled on. And she didn't know what was going through her mind. So much had happened that night. So much had gone on and Amelia didn't even know what she was thinking. She was just grateful that her mother was back. She was safe. That was all that mattered.

Godric let his lips quirk as he leaned forwards, kissing her on the forehead and then moving to let his chin rest against the top of her head as she wrapped her arms around his waist. Godric moved a hand down her back as the other held the back of her head.

"It's been a very long night," Godric said, sensing Amelia's exhaustion. "But everything will be fine now. You will be safe."

"With thanks to you," Amelia said, pulling back to look up at him. "I mean it, Godric, I don't know how I can ever thank you."

Curling a finger under her chin, Godric smiled gently as he leaned down, whispering huskily as he moved to press his lips to hers. "I can think of something," he whispered down to her and she did smile then. He kissed her, letting his lips roam over hers as she moved her hands to his neck, holding onto it tightly before pulling back and looking him in the eye.

"I don't doubt it," Amelia answered him. "But we should go and rest. I'll see you tonight, okay?"

"Of course," Godric nodded and moved his hand to her back as the two of them made their way up the stairs. Godric bid Amelia a good sleep, kissing her chastely before moving to his own room as she entered her own, seeing her mother already asleep on one side of the bed.

Sighing to herself, she closed the door and held the necklace around her neck tightly, wondering just what Will would have thought if he had been alive.

...

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	23. Chapter 23

Amelia and Marianna awoke just a couple of hours before the sun began to set. Marianna woke before Amelia, laying on her side and looking at her daughter as she slept on the other side of the bed, dressed in a pair of plaid pyjamas. Marianna looked to the bear in the middle of the bed and smiled. She had kept the bear that she had given her when she had packed all of her stuff. It made Marianna feel slightly warm inside to know that her daughter had not gotten rid of it.

Amelia eventually awoke and Marianna smiled over to her.

"How are you, sleepy head?" she wondered and Amelia chuckled, rolling onto her side as her mother sat up, leaning back against the headboard. Amelia wondered what had happened to her mother. She sounded so cheerful. It was almost like the woman she had known when Amelia was a child and before she had gone off to college.

"I'm fine," Amelia answered. "How are you feeling, mom?"

"Better than I did this time yesterday," Marianna answered with honesty. "Amelia, I never wanted you to come for me. I didn't want you to put yourself in danger, but I…I am indebted to you."

Marianna ran a hand through her messy curls and pulled on the pyjama shirt that Amelia had leant her. Amelia moved to sit up then, turning to face her mother and folding her legs, her hands holding onto her knees. She looked her in the eye as Marianna reached out and ran a soft hand down her cheek.

"Look at you," Marianna whispered, "you're so much stronger than I was at your age."

"Mom, you were a doctor," Amelia scoffed. "You were a doctor and you were so successful. Don't say that."

"It's true," Marianna said. "I should have been stronger…maybe not at your age, but definitely later on. I should have taken you and left your father years ago. I should have done it when you were a child…before Jack…before everything…we could have had the relationship I always wanted. I always imagined us being close, Amelia. I pushed you away…I pushed you away because I was weak."

"Mom," Amelia sighed and shook her head. "I remember everything that you did, okay? I remember how you used to take me for cake as a child…take me shopping…let me drink milkshakes and tell you about my problems. I remember all of those things that you did. I just…I went to college and I just wanted my independence. I wanted to get away from him."

"And you did," Marianna said with a soft nod of her head, moving to kiss her on the forehead. "You got away from him and you became strong, Amelia. I mean…I never thought that I would see you like this."

Amelia's brow furrowed. "Like what?" she wondered and Marianna rolled her eyes.

"Amelia, I am your mother," she said to her. "I recognise things. I recognise how you react whenever someone mentions Godric."

"How do I react?" Amelia asked, trying to remain slightly impassive.

Marianna let her lips quirk upwards at hearing her daughter. "Amelia, your face lights up whenever he is around," Marianna said. "You told me how he took you to Paris and he closed the Louvre for you. He closed one of the most famous tourist attractions in Paris just for you. Are you going to try and tell me that you're just friends?"

Chewing down on her lip, Amelia shrugged and tried to look slightly nonchalant, but she knew she was failing.

"I mean…there's something else there," Amelia admitted to her mother. "It's weird. It's like…I loved Will, you know that, mom. I loved him and a part of me will always love him. I got him back and I was so happy to have him back and with me. I never stopped loving him, but I think that a part of me let him go months ago when I left him. I think that I began to let him go and maybe…I think…I began to fall for Godric when I was sneaking out to meet with him all those night."

Marianna gave a soft smile and Amelia rolled her eyes as her mother continued to keep staring at her.

"You don't need to stare at me like that," Amelia urged from her.

"Like what?" Marianna asked her back and Amelia laughed softly.

"Like you're about to start crying at me," Amelia said.

"No," Marianna said, but her eyes betrayed her as she moved to wipe them quickly. "I'm fine. Honestly, I just…I just want you to be happy, Amelia, and I think that he makes you happy."

"He does," Amelia nodded.

"And that is more than I could ever have asked for, but I just…" Marianna trailed off and Amelia arched a brow. Looking back to her daughter, Marianna moved a hand to take hold of her daughter's arm, squeezing it softly. "When you were growing up I never imagined this kind of life for you. I always imagined you growing up and falling in love…but with a human, not a vampire…a boy who you can be out with during the day and night…someone who could take you to restaurants and not attract stares…someone you could have children with."

Amelia said nothing then, choosing to bite her tongue as she looked down to the mattress and Marianna looked to her, wondering if her daughter had thought about this before. Had she had a chance to think about it? Did she often think about it?

"Amelia, it's okay to be uncertain," Marianna said.

"That's the thing," Amelia said to her mother, finally looking back to her. "I thought about it when I was with Will and I was at college. I was with Will and I kept thinking how it would feel never to see the sun again and…I mean…I don't want children right now. I am nowhere near mature enough to have children, but maybe one day I will. I honestly don't know."

"And that is fine," Marianna said and squeezed Amelia's hand. "I had my time, Amelia. I had you. I had the sun. I had it all. You're still so young and I don't want you to act brashly. I know that you adore Godric and I know that he adores you, but I just don't want you to act irrationally."

"Mom, I'm not going to…like…ask Godric to turn me into a vampire," Amelia said. "I know that our relationship has been slightly rushed, but I'm not going to do anything hasty. I'm just enjoying my time with Godric."

"And, again, I'm happy for you," Marianna said, "but I just want you to…well…you're my little girl and I want the best for you. I want you to be happy."

"But you want me to be human," Amelia finished and Marianna shrugged.

"Just take it steady," she urged from her.

"Of course," Amelia said and moved to peck her mother on the cheek. "Did you want a shower? I can go down and make us a cup of tea and something to eat while you are showering."

"Sounds good," Marianna said, sensing that her daughter wished to end the conversation. "I feel strange being in a house full of vampires I have never met."

Amelia laughed softly and moved to her feet. "They're not all too bad," she said. "I mean, I haven't had much to do with them. Isabel has always been courteous…Eric…well…he's loyal to Godric, but can be a bit of a dick about it."

Marianna nodded and moved to her feet, tugging her shirt down her body as she made the movement. "Is Eric the hot one who carried me last night? You should have felt his body, Amelia…honestly…"

"Mom!" Amelia snapped at her. "You had just been kidnapped!"

"Doesn't mean that I can't recognise an attractive man when I see one."

"Oh God," Amelia complained. "We are not discussing this. I'm going to make pancakes."

"It's just the truth, Amelia," Marianna said.

"Come on," Amelia said, "I'll get you a towel before I go and cook."

Marianna followed her daughter and watched her grab hold of a towel from the cupboard in the bathroom, passing it to her before she closed the door and Marianna locked it. Amelia moved back to the bedroom and grabbed her fluffy socks, pulling them onto her feet before going down the steps. She moved into the kitchen to find Isabel there. She was already dressed in a black shirt and a red skirt, emphasising her curves. She was holding her cell phone in her fingers and her hair was backcombed into a ponytail.

Looking over to Amelia, Isabel managed to let her lips arch upwards. "Good evening, Amelia."

"Hi," Amelia said, feeling slightly self-conscious as she realised she was just in her pyjamas. "Isabel, I never really got a chance to thank you for what you did last night…helping me…my mom."

"Of course," Isabel said with a nod of her head. "You are my Sheriff's human."

"Well, yeah," Amelia said, "but thank you, anyway. You could have refused."

"I would never refuse Godric," Isabel said with haste. "But I understand what you are trying to say and you are welcome. I think that you are good for Godric. He smiles more when you are around him."

Amelia felt herself blush as she moved to the fridge and pulled out some milk before reaching for flour to make the batter. "Well, he's a very nice guy," Amelia said. "I'm just glad you don't hate me like Stan and Eric seem to."

Isabel smirked then and leaned against the worktop as she watched Amelia begin to make batter.

"Stan has always had a disliking for humans," Isabel admitted. "I find it to be quite petty, if I must tell you the truth. Eric, on the other hand, is just possessive over Godric. He always has been. He puts his maker before anyone else and he…well…he knows the pitfalls of dating a human."

"That we grow old and eat human food?"

"More or less," Isabel said. "I can understand his worry, but we cannot choose who we fall for. Hugo is evidence of that."

"Is Hugo your boyfriend?"

"I prefer the term lover or partner," Isabel said. "But yes, we are together."

"What is he like?" Amelia enquired.

"He is…" Isabel trailed off and chuckled. "He is charming and lovable. He is quite funny and loyal to me. He…I love him terribly."

"What does he do as a job?" Amelia dared to wonder.

"He works in finance," Isabel said. "Perhaps you can meet him one day? No doubt he might have some questions about what it is like to date a vampire. He has never dated one before and he keeps on asking me…well…if I have any intention of changing him."

"Oh," Amelia said.

"You must have thought about it," Isabel spoke in a soft voice, looking to Amelia as she reached for a pan and placed it on the stove. "You've dated two vampires now. Has it never crossed your mind?"

"You know you're the second person to ask me about this in one morning," Amelia said. "And…yeah…I've thought about it, but I think that if you love someone after you've gotten to know them and spent time with them then you would want to spend the rest of your life with them."

"That's the problem," Isabel admitted. "A vampire's life is a lot longer than a human's one. The idea of us turning someone…taking away their humanity…their ability to do everything that is normal..it is an idea that scares some of us. It makes us feel like…like we have stolen a life."

"But what if they want to be turned?" Amelia asked.

"That's the problem," Isabel said. "They might think that they want to be turned, but the idea of Hugo resenting me fifty…a hundred years from now is one that scares me. I do not want him to regret it."

"But do you want to regret not turning him?" Amelia wondered, pouring some of the batter into the pan and reaching for a spatula from the utensil port before shaking her head and looking to Isabel. "Sorry," she said, "I don't mean to pry this much."

"No," Isabel shook her head. "It's nice to have a human perspective. Perhaps…sometimes…you really could talk to Hugo?"

"Of course," Amelia said.

"Thank you, Amelia," Isabel said. "I need to go. I told Hugo I would spend the evening with him."

"Oh, okay," Amelia nodded. "I'll see you later then."

"Take care, Amelia," Isabel said and swept from the kitchen, her strides long and her heels clicking on the floor as she left the nest and Amelia watched her go.

She finished making the pancakes in silence, her mind thinking about everything that Isabel and her mother had spoken to her about that morning.

…

Godric knew that he had been remiss in his duties as Sheriff. He found himself out that evening with Eric, wandering the streets of downtown Dallas. This had been the first time he had really been apart from Amelia. He had left Amelia with her mother, the two of them in his kitchen and eating pancakes. Marianna had thanked Godric profusely before turning her gaze to Eric, looking to him as Amelia exchanged a sly smirk with Godric, watching her mother stumble over herself to thank the vampire.

"So her mother will be gone tonight?" Eric enquired, finding himself willing to patrol the area alongside the Sheriff.

"Her vampire lover shall be here soon," Godric said. "I told Marianna that he was welcome to stay."

"In what room?" Eric scoffed. "I doubt Stan would offer his own room."

"I would permit Amelia to share my bed," Godric spoke.

Eric arched a brow, hands stuffed into his pockets as he wandered alongside his maker. "Well, I did hear you with her the other day so that's not entirely shocking."

Godric didn't even look perturbed at what he was hearing. Instead he remained silent, his lips pursed and his face giving away no emotion, even though he let his mind wander back to what had happened the other morning. He couldn't stop thinking of how it felt to lay with Amelia. He couldn't deny that it had been better than he had imagined.

"So what do you do now?" Eric asked, knowing that he was not going to get any details from Godric.

"Amelia is applying for teaching courses in Dallas," Godric spoke. "I have offered her the guest room in my nest on a permanent basis. She will be attending lectures during the day and I…well…I quite like the idea of her being there when I wake in the evening."

"So she wants to be a teacher," Eric drawled, "of course she does."

Godric arched a brow and turned to look up to his progeny. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, she comes across as the type," Eric shrugged. "Someone who could talk your ear off about why Charlotte Bronte was a visionary or why Charles Dickens is still relevant to the modern era."

"She would not be wrong," Godric pointed out.

"And if she teaches then how will that work?" Eric asked and Godric sighed.

"I know what you are doing, Eric," Godric said as they waited to cross the road, hearing a mass of people laugh down the street as they stood outside of a bar.

"What am I doing?" Eric wondered before the two of them crossed the road together.

"Trying to dissuade me from this relationship," Godric said. "She will be gone during the day, but she will be back in the evening."

"And do you think that will work?" Eric asked from him. "Maker, I…I know that you care deeply for his human. I can see that. I cannot understand why, but I just…I want you to remember that she is a human. She-"

"-We had this discussion the other night, Eric," Godric interrupted him. "We are not going over it again. I am your maker and I love you dearly, but I am not the same vampire you once knew. I have changed in my ways of thinking. I have changed so much and I do not expect you to understand that, but it is how I am now."

"I do not want to see you hurt," was all that Eric offered. "And she…I know that she cannot hurt you physically, but I have never seen you so open emotionally. You never speak of your feelings. You never let anyone in. And she…if she hurts you…if she leaves you…I worry what that might do to you."

Godric nodded his head and looked to Eric once more. "I am not a new vampire, Eric," he whispered. "I can control my emotions. I have known loss before. If the time comes and Amelia wishes to live a normal life then I will not stand in her way."

…

Amelia had to admit that she hadn't known what she thought Jack would look like when she met him. She had thought that her mother would have been a walking stereotype and gone for a toyboy. She had pictured someone with ragged good looks and dark hair, a brooding type with a penance for danger. But when she opened the door to see Jack, she had gaped.

He was nothing like she thought. He was dressed in jeans, a white polo shirt with a jacket over the top. His hair was blond and ruffled on top of his head, his face pale and round, a strong jaw and brown eyes accentuating his features. He looked…normal. He didn't look young. He was younger than Marianna, but he was still quite old compared to the vampires Amelia had met.

"Hi," he said, sounding slightly awkward. "You must be Amelia, right?"

"Yeah," Amelia nodded. "And you're Jack?"

He arched a brow and his lips became wry. "You seem surprised," he observed.

"I guess I just…" Amelia trailed off and shook her head. "I didn't know what to expect, but I didn't expect you to look like you do. You look normal."

"I don't know if that is a compliment or not," Jack mused and Amelia stepped aside from the door.

"Definitely a compliment," she said. "We could do with some normal around here. Come in, Jack."

He entered the house and Amelia led him through into the kitchen where Marianna was sat. Slipping from her seat, she moved over to the vampire, throwing her arms around his neck as he grabbed hold of her waist. Amelia kept her distance, folding her arms over her chest. She let a smile form on her lips as her mother burrowed against Jack and he held her tightly.

"I was so worried," Jack whispered to her. "Marie, I was so worried. I didn't know what to do…what had happened…"

"I know," Marianna said and pulled back to look up to him. "I'm sorry, Jack."

Jack's brow furrowed then. "Why are you apologising?" he asked from her. "Marie, this isn't your fault. I am simply happy that you are safe now. That is all that matters."

"I love you," Marianna said honestly, kissing him chastely before pulling back and looking to Amelia. "I know you two have been introduced, but…well…Jack…this is Amelia, my daughter."

"I should thank you too," Jack said with a nod. "You saved her."

"I hardly did anything," Amelia admitted with a soft whisper. "It was Godric and his progeny and underling who saved her. I just…well…acted as bait. Besides, I…I would do anything for mom."

"Then I should extend my thanks to the Sheriff," he said.

"Godric is out at the moment," Amelia said, "but he should be back soon. Do you want to wait for him? I'm certain he'll be pleased to meet you. Besides, I don't want mom to go just yet."

Marianna smiled and moved to her daughter, kissing her softly on the forehead. "I'm going to be sticking around for a couple of weeks," Marianna said. "Don't worry about that, Amelia. Jack's agreed to stay in Dallas before we go back to California."

"We have a hotel booked," Jack said. "I thought that you might want to spend some time with your mother…after everything that's happened."

Amelia smiled at him then and nodded her head. She could tell that Jack was going to be ten times better for her mother than her father ever had been. She was grateful for that.

…

Godric had been nothing but courteous to Jack when he had returned home and the two vampires had met. Eric had been pleasanter than usual, but he had still been rather brash. Godric had said few words, but the ones that he did speak were polite and measured. He had watched on as Amelia stood by her mother, the two of them seeming to be closer than before as Amelia clung to her mother when she was saying goodbye.

She had stayed up when the sun broke, working on her application for teaching courses as Godric went to rest. He had spoken only briefly with her, but he had asked her if she would like to join him the following evening for a couple of hours. He didn't say what he had planned, but Amelia had nodded, kissing him chastely before he had gone to bed.

When he woke, Godric found Amelia dressed in a pair of jeans and a white shirt tucked into it. She had a sweatshirt over her arms as she waited for Godric. He was already dressed in a grey long sleeved shirt and dark pants, his gaze on Amelia as she waited for him in the kitchen.

"Where are we going?" Amelia wondered from him when he offered her his hand.

"Back to the beginning," Godric simply said.

She moved her hand into Godric's and let him lead her from the house. She tugged her sweatshirt over her head once he was stood waiting for her to climb onto his back. Hooking her legs around him, she wound her arms around his neck before he took off into the sky. He was only flying for a few moments before they landed and Amelia recognised instantly where they were. They were back on the familiar path they took in Cedar Ridge.

"You know, the beginning was actually the theme park," Amelia pointed out as she slid down Godric's back and he took hold of her hand as they began their walk along the dirt trek.

"Well, this is almost near the beginning," He responded to her. "Besides, I didn't want to go back to that theme park. I thought that this would be quieter."

"But I love the theme park," Amelia pouted teasingly and Godric chuckled at hearing her as she swung their hands between them. "Anyway, I sent off the applications today. I managed to stay up until lunchtime getting them finished. Most of the courses start in another two months so I've left it pretty late, but I'm hopeful."

"Anyone would be lucky to have you," Godric said.

"Well, we will wait and see," Amelia shrugged. "I applied to quite a few programmes, actually. I didn't realise there were that many. I'm hoping that I hear back soon though."

"I do not doubt you will," Godric said and Amelia looked at him.

"We'll wait and see," Amelia said. "It's just weird how…well…normal it all feels considering the other day we were trying to fight off a vampire."

"We were," Godric agreed, "but I think that this is what you need…I think it is what we all need."

"I know," Amelia said. "I've just been so swept up in all of this that I haven't had time to think about normality. I mean…I've got my mom back. I've also been thinking about trying to contact Maria. She's…kind of…sort of the only friend I had when I came back to Dallas. Well, I say friend, but I'm not certain if she really is a friend. She was always more interested in just drinking and partying than meaningful conversations."

"Is she the one you were on your way to meet the night we meet?"

"She is," Amelia said. "I don't know…we were never that close. I just think I owe it to her to tell her I'm, somehow, still alive. It's not like I have any other friends. Daniel was the one who controlled our friend circle, hence why I had to have dinner with the Newlins more times than I wanted."

"What were they like?" Godric asked, unable to stop himself as he climbed over a fallen tree, grabbing Amelia by the hand and helping her over the fallen trunk. She jumped down onto her feet before feeling Godric wrap his arm around her shoulders.

"As mad as they seem on the TV," Amelia said. "It was painful being with them."

"They're causing trouble," Godric said. "The Fellowship of the Sun continues to grow. I do not know how much more the AVL can take from them. Nan is constantly annoyed with what they are doing."

"I cannot understand why anyone would join them," Amelia commented with a shake of her head.

"I can," Godric said. "Our kind are scary, Amelia, and we have caused a lot of pain to humans. I understand entirely why they are rising in popularity. They are scared of us and they should be. We are dangerous. We…we have not learned."

"Still," Amelia shrugged, "I think the entire concept of the Fellowship is madness."

"Perhaps," Godric said, squeezing her shoulder. "However, I doubt anyone could rival Steve Newlin. Have you seen his adverts on TV? I hate to say that they are strangely charismatic and hypnotising."

"I wouldn't have thought that vampires fell for advertising," Amelia said.

Godric shrugged. "We find it entertaining," he admitted to her. "However, I do worry what will happen if the Fellowship continues to grow."

"Nothing," Amelia shrugged and wrapped an arm around Godric's waist. "Because there will always be people who believe in vampires. You just need to have a bit of faith in that."

"Such a ray of sunshine, my dear," Godric mused, standing still and turning Amelia until she was facing him, firmly encircled in his hold.

She snorted then, a hand going to his shoulder. "I don't think I'm quite that," she said to him. "I am pretty happy though…happy with you…"

"And I am the same," Godric promised her. "I am very happy with you, Amelia."

Godric bent down to kiss her. It was tender and gentle, enough to make Amelia close her eyes and lean closer to him. Godric kept his lips light against hers, the motion tender and lazy as she dangled her arms around his neck. She pulled away after a minute, smiling up to him as he kept his fingers splayed on her waist.

"Come on," Amelia urged from him. "We should go to the clearing before the clouds come."

Pulling back from him, she took hold of his hand once more and the two of them wandered back along the path. Godric let his eyes remain on her, unable to look away as she lapsed back into conversation with him.

"My father's trial starts next week," she said. "They asked me to give evidence and I said that I would provide a statement. I don't want to see him again."

"When did you find out about this?"

"Mom told me," Amelia said. "She called me during the day and said that I should expect a phone call from the lawyers. Daniel is playing it interesting though. He's claiming ignorance. He says that he never knew about the facility."

Godric arched a brow. "And how is that working out for him?" he dared to wonder and Amelia shrugged.

"I doubt it is working," she said to him. "Who would believe that horseshit? He's clearly lying. Anyway, whatever, I don't care what happens to both of them. They can just suffer on their own."

"I would agree with that," Godric told her. "He is, well and truly, a ruined man."

"Serves him right," Amelia said. "I mean, he was such as ass. Did you see how happy my mom was with Jack?"

Godric noted how Amelia's face lit up when she spoke of her mother. He nodded his head and his own lips arched.

"They are very much in love," Godric said as he felt Amelia's arm bump into his as she walked slightly over to his side. "No doubt your mother deserves happiness after being married to your father."

"He wasn't exactly the best parent," Amelia said, her lips pursed. "I mean…mom…she became distant and I never knew why, but then she told me about Jack. She used to be the only thing that kept me there at one stage. There were times when I was a teenager when I wanted to run away. I wanted to run and get out, but she kept me there."

"She comes across like a good mother."

"Yeah," Amelia nodded. "If I was feeling down or if something had gone wrong then she used to sneak me out the house…take me to the park…get ice cream. Dad used to say that she spoiled me, but she never listened. She would simply roll her eyes and wink to me. I remember there were times when we had to sit through these boring dinners and she would end up entertaining me…making jokes…"

"Do you miss those times?" Godric enquired.

"Yes and no," she shrugged back. "I mean, I was so close to her and I loved that. I think…without her…I don't know what would have happened. I don't think that I could ever make as good of a parent as she did."

"Have you thought about it?" Godric dared to wonder and she looked to him.

"About kids?" she checked.

"Hmm," Godric murmured back.

Amelia cocked her head to the side. "I guess," she said. "Don't most people think about having kids? I mean, just because I've thought about it doesn't mean that I want to have kids. I'm still pretty young. I'm only twenty-two in a few months."

"But one day, perhaps," Godric said to her and Amelia stopped walking and watched him as he turned back to look to her.

"You know, I literally had this discussion with my mother yesterday," Amelia said to him.

"And what did she say?"

"She was on about how she wanted me to be happy, but…" Amelia trailed off and Godric gave a solemn nod.

"She doesn't know if she wants you to be happy with a vampire," Godric concluded for her and Amelia found him looking to her with a knowing glance. "She has a point, Amelia. Vampires cannot give you everything that you might want one day want. They cannot give you a child…give you the day…none of that is possible."

"So what are you saying?" Amelia wondered of him.

"I am simply saying that your mother has a point," Godric concluded for her. "Amelia, if those are things that you want one day then I would understand. I would understand if you left me, okay? I would not begrudge you any of that."

"What?" Amelia snapped loudly. "Godric, I don't want to go anywhere. I don't want to leave you."

"Perhaps not today," Godric said, "but one day you might. Couples…people…they change…and I know that. I have lived long enough to know. While I confess myself happy with you and content, I know that time changes things. In time you might want those things. You might want the sun…a normal life…and I would never begrudge you any of that."

Amelia inhaled a sharp breath, her mouth hanging open as she tried to think of something to say. But nothing came to her. Godric too remained silent before bending down to kiss her chastely.

"You do not need to say anything, Amelia," he whispered to her. "I just want you to know how I feel."

"I do," Amelia said, "but I don't want to hurt you, Godric."

Godric's lips arched, his hand moving to her cheek. "I doubt you could," he whispered.

"We've only just started…whatever this is…" Amelia said, motioning between the two of them. "It's too early to start thinking that far into the future, isn't it?"

"Indeed," Godric said, "but I just wanted you to know, Amelia."

Amelia nodded before Godric ran a hand down her cheek and tugged on her hand. "Come," he whispered down to her, "we are near the clearing and I suspect I might be able to name more of the constellations if the clouds hold off."

Amelia forced herself to smile then as she looked up to the vampire, her eyes still wide as she wondered exactly what went on in his mind about the two of them.

...

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	24. Chapter 24

Godric found that time passed by rather quickly and most of his life had gone back to normal. He had spent time with Amelia when he could, but he knew that he had to get back to work as Sheriff, taking his duties very seriously. Eric had returned to Shreveport after spending a week in Dallas. Amelia and Eric had managed to get along, but Godric sensed some hostility inside of his child. Of course, he knew exactly why Eric felt that way. He was worried about Godric. He was always worried.

After promising Eric that he would be fine, Godric had returned back to work. Isabel had been spending more and more time with Hugo while Stan had been out most nights. Godric knew exactly what Stan got up to. He knew what he did and he knew how he acted towards humans. Godric was beginning to struggle to hide how he felt about Stan's choices, but he had known Stan for years. He only wished that he would see that there was more to a vampire's life than drinking and killing.

Amelia had found herself waiting patiently for her applications to be accepted or rejected. She had done her best to ignore her father's trial, despite the fact that it was plastered on every news station. Godric had caught her watching it a couple of times on her laptop when she was in the kitchen and preparing food. She would listen to the news channel with intrigue, but she knew better than to take their word for gospel.

It was one night, as autumn set in, when Godric woke from his slumber to find Amelia in the kitchen. As soon as he made his appearance in the doorway, she was already moving towards him, throwing her arms around his neck as her legs locked around his waist. He didn't even stumble or flinch as he grabbed hold of her by her thighs, looking her in the eye as she beamed at him and he continued to hold her tightly.

"Guess what?" she urged from him as she kept her hands at the back of his head, holding onto his neck.

Godric's lips quirked as he watched her. "What?" he enquired, playing the game.

"Guess who has just been accepted onto a teaching programme at The University of Texas right here in Dallas?" she said and Godric's lips continued to smirk as he heard her laugh and he moved further into the kitchen. He bent to kiss her, his lips pressing to hers. She pulled back before he could even attempt to deepen the kiss, looking him in the eye as she beamed at him.

"When did you find out?" he wondered from her.

"I got the email this afternoon," Amelia responded, her hand moving through his hair softly. "I called my mom and told her, but then I waited until you were awake."

"That is wonderful news," Godric spoke, his voice gentle and soft.

"I know," Amelia said. "I am so excited, honestly. The course begins in three weeks so that doesn't give me much time to think about it, but I want to do this. I'll be in college most days for a few months before I complete training and they allocate me to a school. It might mean that I get put in a normal school and not a night school though."

"Whatever happens, you can deal with it," Godric told her.

"I know," she responded. "It just means that I won't get as much time to be with you."

Godric looked her in the eye and nodded. He knew that. He had known that might be the case as soon as she had told him she was thinking of applying for college. Of course, there were slowly becoming night courses for vampires, but even they were still few and far between. Godric settled down on the sofa in the living room, letting Amelia rest in his lap as he kept hold of her, refusing to let her go.

"We can cope," Godric promised her, his voice smooth and soft. "I knew that this time would come. Besides, you are still a human, Amelia. You do not deserve to live as a vampire does. This is normal…going back to college…studying…I think normality is what you need right now."

"Well, yeah," Amelia shrugged, "I mean, I'm excited, Godric, but I just don't want it to mean we struggle to see each other."

Godric kissed her on the forehead. "Amelia, we will have time when the sun sets and before you need rest. We shall cope. You have a life outside of me. I need you to see that."

"It just so happens that you're a pretty big part of my life, Godric," Amelia admitted to him and his smile did seem to remain tight on his lips as he pressed them down to the top of her head, letting them rest there for a few moments. "You know what you said…the other week when we went for a walk? About how you would understand if I left you…"

"I recall that particular conversation," Godric agreed with a slim nod. "What about it?"

"Well, I just…you know…if I don't leave you, which, by the way, I have no intention of doing, then I am going to age, Godric," she said as she felt him move an arm around her and she moved her fingers onto his arm, stroking the bare skin softly as Godric pressed his cheek to the top of her head.

"I thought that you wanted to discuss this further on down the line?" Godric wondered from her.

"I did," she admitted before chewing on her lip and shrugging. "But then I kept thinking about what you said to me and it keeps going round in my head."

"What part?" Godric wondered of her and she pulled away from him so that she could look him in the eye, her fingers still moving against the skin on his arm. "The part about you finding someone else or wanting the human life?"

"Both," Amelia said. "I just think that if you want to know about if I ever want children or…just a human life…then I want to know if you would ever change me if I decided that I didn't want it?"

Godric said nothing then, looking to Amelia with wide eyes and a stoic expression. He said nothing in response to her question. She continued to stare at him, knowing that he was going to answer her eventually. She knew that it was a big question. She knew that for a vampire to change someone, it had to mean something and was usually a big deal. She had been told that by Will when she had asked him if he had ever contemplated turning someone.

"If we keep on going like this then eventually I am going to get old," Amelia continued, unable to stand the silence for much longer. "What will people say when I look…what? Forty? And then I look old enough to be your mother. I don't want that…I just know that, if we keep on being like this…if feelings develop, then I need to know if you would change me eventually."

"Amelia…" Godric trailed off; uncertain of what more he should say to her. He kept quiet for a moment, feeling her moving her fingers against his as she took hold of his hand.

"Don't tell me you haven't thought about it," she scoffed. "Godric, you are the vampire who plans for everything. I know you. I know that this must have crossed your mind."

"Hmm," Godric murmured and he felt her move from his lap, sinking down to sit down next to him on the sofa. He moved his hands to his thighs, clutching them tightly as he let himself remain lost in his own thoughts.

Amelia's brows furrowed together as she looked to Godric and saw him continue to stare straight ahead. He looked lost in his own world. It took her a few seconds before she waved a hand in front of his face, but he still remained vacant. Amelia remained seated and leaned forwards, clasping her hands together as she kept her eyes on him.

"Do you want the truth?" Godric dared to wonder from her and she nodded her head.

"I want the truth," she echoed back to him.

"I think about making you mine more often than I care to admit," Godric said, looking her in the eye as she felt her breathing hitch. She continued to clasp her fingers together, her hands feeling slightly sweaty. "I think about what it would be like to have you as mine and no one else lay claim to you…it's consuming me, Amelia. It's consuming me more than I care to admit."

Amelia popped her lips and nodded. "Okay," she whispered, not wanting to tell him how possessive that made him sound. Instead she bit her tongue, her fingers drumming together. "Well…that's intense."

"Indeed," Godric nodded his head.

"So…I take it that's a yes?" she wondered from him.

"No," Godric responded with a shake of his head. "Amelia, the thing about vampires is that we are inherently selfish. We are possessive. We are controlling. Many of us do not change. We stay like that. It is how we are. I…those feelings are still inside of me, but I have changed."

"So, that's a no?" Amelia asked, confusing taking hold of her as she tilted her head to the side and continued to stare at him. Godric moved his gaze over to her, looking her in the eye as he searched her stare, wondering exactly what he should say to her. Did he tell her the truth? Did he tell her exactly what he was thinking?

"It's a maybe," Godric responded. "I do not intend to make a hasty decision over this, Amelia, nor do I want you to. All I want is for you to consider the future…consider what it might mean for you to turn into one of us."

"I did consider it," Amelia said. "But I just wanted to know if you had considered it."

"I have," Godric admitted in a gentle voice. "Regardless, Amelia, there is no rush. We have time…you have time…"

"I just…" Amelia trailed off, looking Godric in the eye as she did her best to understand what she was feeling for the vampire in front of her. She adored him. She knew that she adored him. What she felt for Godric was true and real. "I just don't think that I will change how I feel about you, Godric."

"I suspect I might feel the same," Godric responded to her. "Come on."

Godric moved to his feet in an instant, holding his hand out to her. Amelia looked to it and arched a brow.

"Where are we going?" she wondered from him.

"To celebrate," Godric said. "I believe that is what should be done in these circumstances?"

Amelia jumped to her feet, taking hold of Godric's hand as they moved back into the kitchen. "So what do you have in mind?"

"Whatever you want to do," Godric said. "However, I had been hoping that, seeing as though you have three weeks before the course begins, we could resume our trip over Europe for a couple of weeks."

Amelia began to smirk as Godric stood still and she moved, draping her arms over his neck as he took hold of her waist. Her smile remained on her face as Godric let his own lips quirk upwards at the sight of her, unable to contain himself as he witnessed her happiness.

"I thought that when you said we could celebrate, we could just go for cake?" Amelia responded to him.

Godric chuckled at hearing her and nodded his head. "We can do that too, but what do you think?"

"I mean, I would love to," Amelia nodded with haste. "But don't you have Sheriff business that needs taking care of?"

"Isabel can handle it for me and I can work from a distance," Godric said. "Besides, I think that it would be nice, wouldn't it? The last time we were away didn't exactly go to plan. I want to rectify that."

Amelia smirked and moved to kiss him slowly, her lips pressing against his slowly as her fingers tangled into his hair, knotting against the soft locks. Godric moved a hand to the small of her back, pressing her tightly to his front. They pulled back after a second and Godric moved a hand to her cheek, stroking it softly.

"So is that a yes?" he wondered.

"It is a definite yes," Amelia beamed.

…

Looking to Amelia as she slept, Godric nodded his head as he did his best to comprehend what he was thinking. They had spent the past week exploring Italy and had ended up in Venice. Godric had managed to rent out a house just by the waterways, the two storey building quite modest compared to his other homes. The bedroom was spacious and open, balcony doors flung open and overlooking the water. Amelia rested in the bed, the net curtains covering the space. Godric had taken a seat on the sofa in the corner, arms folded over his chest.

The sun had just set and Amelia was still sleeping after having spent the previous night with Godric and then the following morning exploring the shops in Venice. She had returned to the house and collapsed into the bed next to Godric, but he was still sleeping soundly and her entering the house didn't seem to wake him.

Watching Amelia, Godric did his best to comprehend what he was thinking. It took him a couple of moments before he moved into the bathroom and turned the shower on. He left the door wide open, not entirely bothered about Amelia seeing him if she woke up.

Stepping under the water once he had shed his white bottoms, he let the water wash over him, briefly warming him. The drops of water poured onto his face as he pressed his hands to the wall in front of him. He closed his eyes for a few moments, thinking back on the previous week he had spent with Amelia. Everything had been perfect. It had been better than perfect. The time he had spent with Amelia had been lovely and he had thought about nothing other than her.

But then there would be times when he let his mind wander. He let his mind wander off to what it would mean to turn Amelia and make her his. He could be with her forever then. No one could take her away from him. No one would dare to split them apart. But then he thought of everything that he would be robbing from her. He would be taking away normality. He knew what she had meant when she had said that she didn't want to wait too long before she turned. But then he wondered if he would ever be ready to change her.

At the back of his mind he constantly had this niggling feeling that he was being selfish. He no longer thought like a vampire. He had empathy. He had developed feelings he did not understand during his early years as a vampire. He knew that he adored Amelia. He cared for her too much that the thought of letting her go hurt him. But, deep down, he suspected that it might be the right thing to do. It might be the best thing that he could do. It would hurt him. It would hurt Amelia. But it would give her the life he wanted her to have if he stopped thinking of himself for just one minute.

He pushed those thoughts to the side, not wishing to dwell on them for too long. He didn't want to think of it at that moment. He knew that he was delaying the inevitable, but he didn't want to think about it. He would broach the topic another day when he was thinking clearer.

Stepping from the shower, he wrapped a towel around his waist and moved back into the bedroom. Amelia was already awake, sat cross legged on the bed, her cell in her hands as she looked down onto the screen. She peeled her eyes away and turned to look to Godric, seeing that he was shirtless and the towel dangerously low on his hips. Amelia flushed as her eyes raked over his naked torso and finally landed on his gaze.

He arched an amused brow. "Have you finished your ogling, my dear?" he teased her and she rolled her eyes as he sat back down on the edge of the bed.

"It's hard not to ogle when you look like that," Amelia admitted to him. "Anyway, come here and see this."

Moving further onto the bed, Godric let one arm support his weight as he placed it behind Amelia and looked down onto the screen. He saw the familiar faces of Steve and Sarah Newlin, both of them looking well dressed and intricately turned out.

"Those evil creatures have done nothing but cause trouble," Steve Newlin spoke. "They murdered my father, step-father and little sister. They took them from me and now we just want people to see them for who they are."

"Yes we do," Sarah Newlin said, clinging onto her husband's hand as she spoke. "We know that everything that happened with Senator Jones was terrible…but the man should be defended. Those monsters ripped his family apart. His daughter has been taken from him because of them. She may claim not to be brainwashed, but we know the truth. We know that she has been glamoured to within an inch of her life. The AVL would say differently, but we know the truth…we know Amelia…"

"What the hell is going on?" Amelia whispered.

"Have you not seen this?"

"I didn't get this far into the video," she confessed to him.

"Do you know something that we don't, Miss Newlin?"

The camera panned onto Nan Flanagan and Amelia inwardly groaned at the sight of the woman before the camera went back to Sarah and Steve.

"Senator Jones was simply doing what should be done," Sarah Newlin said with a hand held up. "He wanted to rid this earth of those foul creatures and we agree with all of that. We…we have been in contact with him and he just wants people to know that he did what he thought was necessary. He wants people to know the real him…how he is scared of those creatures. His fear lives on considering his daughter is with one of those monsters. He just wants her home and safe. He has asked us to make that possible."

Nan Flanagan looked exasperated. "Amelia Jones has made her position perfectly clear. She has not been glamoured. She is with a vampire on her own accord. No one has done anything to her."

"You would say that!" Steve Newlin snapped back. "But we know Amelia. We have had dinner with her and her family…her fiancé…we know her. We know that she would never have done something like this unless she had been manipulated and we all know that the vampire she is with is someone who is pretty horrid…someone who has killed without mercy…his reputation precedes him."

Nan huffed loudly. "He is a Sheriff and a well respected member of our community," she responded haughtily. "He has made mistakes in his past. We all have-"

"-He has killed countless people," Steve Newlin snapped back. "He is known as Death, is he not? And he currently has a young woman in his care…God knows what he is doing to her or how he is hurting her."

"You are being absurd," Nan snarled. "Godric is not hurting her, nor is he glamouring her. He is in love with her. He has protected her from her father. The evidence is there."

"The evidence has been planted," Sarah said back to Nan. "We will prove it. We will get Amelia back to safety, just like her father wants us to."

Amelia shook her head before seeing the interview be cut off by the TV anchor. She locked her cell and tossed it to the side before looking to Godric. Instead of looking concerned, he looked amused. His lips were arched upwards in a dark smile and his face seemed to light up as he watched her look confused.

"They're good," Godric said to her. "I see what your father is trying to do."

"But…I mean…what the hell is going on?" Amelia blubbered out and continued to stare at Godric.

"He is portraying himself as the innocent party," Godric said. "He is using them to do his work for him and, knowing the Newlins from what I have seen on TV, they are more than happy to oblige. I only wonder what is in it for them?"

"I do not know," Amelia shrugged, leaning back slightly until her side was pressed to Godric's bare front. "He has probably promised them something he can't give them, but you know what he is like."

"I do," Godric agreed. "Although the worst part is that there will be people out there who believe them. They will think that I have tainted you."

"I don't know," Amelia said teasingly as she moved slowly to take hold of his hand in her grip, holding it gently. "You have done pretty well in corrupting me."

"Have I really?" Godric whispered back to her and she smirked.

"Perhaps the Newlins have a point," she continued to tease him in between kissing him on the lips. "Perhaps I am completely besotted with you…maybe you have done something to me…"

Godric chuckled. "Then if you accuse me of putting some kind of spell on you then you most certainly have put one on me," Godric replied, pushing her hair behind her shoulder. "Because I am completely and utterly besotted with you."

Amelia laughed then and kissed him fully on the lips. "You are such a flirt," Amelia said in a whisper. "I suppose that is probably why I'm falling for you."

"Just as I am for you," Godric replied before knowing that they weren't going anywhere that night as Amelia's hands tugged his body to lay over hers.

…

Godric kept an eye on the situation as he roamed Italy with Amelia. The Newlin couple were proving to be quite troublesome and their TV interviews were continuous. He knew that the Fellowship were growing in power and, he had to admit, that scared him. He knew that there would only be rage towards vampires so long as the Fellowship continued to fuel such hatred. But then there was the fact that Sarah Newlin seemed to be bringing up Amelia at every opportunity.

Godric found that strange, but he suspected there was a motive behind the move. He knew that he was an easy target. His reputation preceded him. Vampires knew who he was and what he had done. They knew how dangerous he truly was. They knew the power he held. They thought the worst in him and that knowledge had been passed onto the humans who would also want to do the same. To the Fellowship he was simply some monster who had kidnapped and taken a young woman for himself. They would not see the truth. They would not see the truth that he was falling in love with her.

"You've been quiet all day," Amelia commented as they entered the townhouse and Godric locked the door as she turned to look to him. "Well, all night, I guess."

"I apologise," Godric spoke.

"What is on your mind?" Amelia wondered; passing him the dark jacket he had loaned her back to him. He tossed it to the side over the small breakfast bar before moving into the wine cooler and pulling out a bottle of pinot for Amelia.

"Nothing, my love," Godric said as he poured her a glass of wine, handing it to her as she stood by the breakfast bar, her hip jutted out as Godric took hold of her waist with one hand. "I am fine. I promise you."

"You know," Amelia drawled, holding the wine glass to her lips. "You don't need to lie to me, Godric. I know when something is troubling you. You look all broody."

Godric arched a brow as she sipped on her wine and then arched an expectant brow.

"So," she pushed him, "what's going on?"

"I have been keeping tabs on the situation with Steve and Sarah Newlin," Godric admitted to her. "They continue to mention you in interviews."

Amelia rolled her eyes. "Is that all?"

"Amelia, it could potentially be quite serious," Godric responded in a deadpan voice.

"No, it couldn't be," Amelia said. "Look, we did all those interviews and people know the truth. If they want to believe that I have been glamoured or whatever then let them, but I don't care what they think. You shouldn't either."

But that was the problem.

"It is not a case of caring about what people think," Godric responded, "it is a case of what they might do, Amelia. I have known fanatics…people who might lash out…hurt you…simply because of what the Fellowship are saying. The Fellowship can manipulate people-"

"-And it would hardly look good if they manipulated someone to come and…what? Assassinate me?"

"Amelia, do not sound so nonchalant," Godric said, his voice low and demanding as he continued to hold her waist, his grip increasing as she placed her wine glass down onto the side. "These things have happened…they continue to happen…if anything happened to you then I would never forgive myself. I would never forgive myself because you would have been harmed because of me."

"Hey," Amelia urged, her voice turning lighter as she reached for his shoulders. "I am fine, Godric. Nothing is going to happen to us…nothing, alright?"

"You cannot make promises like that," Godric responded as she moved to fiddle with his shirt collar and he let his other hand go to her waist, crunching up the material of the short navy dress she wore. "But I will keep you safe, Amelia. I will always keep you safe."

"I don't doubt it," Amelia responded without skipping a beat. "But…just…just don't worry about them, okay? We'll be fine."

"Hmm," Godric could only muse as he felt her move to kiss him, the motion tender and slow before he pulled her into his arms and let his cheek drop to her head, his thoughts plaguing him as he cradled her to him.

….

A/N: Sorry for being gone for so long, but life has gotten pretty busy. Do let me know what you think!


	25. Chapter 25

Godric felt a sense of dread as he looked to the private jet. He did not wish to go back to Dallas. If he had his way then he would spend much longer roaming Europe with Amelia by his side. But he had to return. He had duties in Dallas and Amelia was due to begin her studies. But he knew what he was returning to. He knew that he was returning to nights alone while Amelia slept. He was returning to work that hardly stimulated his mind. Obviously he wanted what was best for Amelia. He wanted her to be happy and he knew that this was going to make her happy.

But it was as he had said. There was a part of him that would always be a vampire. While that part had receded, it still existed. It grew even stronger when it came to Amelia. But he had never seen her look so excited as she did when she spoke about starting her course. Her face lit up when she was explaining the reading list to him. Her smile didn't drop from her face as she picked up new stationery during their time in Berlin.

Yet, it had to come to an end. Godric knew that. As a vampire who had roamed the Earth for centuries, he knew how fleeting two weeks could be. It was nothing but a blink of an eye for a vampire.

"You've been quiet the entire ride here," Amelia commented, snapping Godric from his daze as they climbed up the steps of the private jet which sat on the tarmac at the private airbase in Berlin.

Godric spoke to the air hostess on board, informing her that they would be ready to leave as soon as the pilot was ready and had the all clear. Sitting down on one of the chairs by the table, Amelia reached for the seatbelt as Godric sat across from her. She arched a brow in his direction and waited for him to respond to her comment. It took a couple of moments before he nodded his head, forcing a smile onto his face.

"I am simply sad to be leaving," Godric admitted to her. He reached for his own belt, buckling himself in and looking to Amelia with a steady gaze.

"I know," Amelia said, folding one leg over the other as she leaned back and the door to the jet closed. "I would like to spend more time here…anywhere…with you…"

"But life does not stop," Godric sighed. "We both have responsibilities to return to in Dallas."

"I know," Amelia said. "I am excited about going back, but I like Europe. I…well…if you told me a few months ago that I would be starting another college course then I would never have believed you. It's just…since meeting you, everything has changed."

"Not for the better in some respects," Godric said.

Amelia arched a brow. "Are you kidding?" she wondered from him. "Godric, without you then I would still be engaged to Daniel and Will would be suffering at the hands of my father. I know…what happened to him was wrong. It was so wrong…but the thought of him still being trapped in that facility is enough to make me feel sick."

Both of them didn't seem to startle as the engine roared to life and the jet began to taxi towards the runway. Godric leaned over to Amelia, his seatbelt tight against his waist as he reached out to take hold of her hand inside of his. Letting his fingers tangle with hers, he lifted her hand up until he kissed the back of it.

Keeping her hand to his lips, his eyes remained on her and his lips arched upwards. "I adore you, Amelia Jones. Never forget that."

….

Godric hardly saw Amelia for the first few weeks of her course. She was gone at nine in the morning and she returned just as the sun set. She would come in and cook dinner for herself as Godric stood in the kitchen and watched her dash around, ducking and diving into cupboards that had once been empty but were now full with thanks to Amelia. She would tell him tales of her day and Godric would listen with intent, sitting with her as she ate.

"There's a lot more theory than I had thought," Amelia admitted to Godric as she picket at the spaghetti she was eating, sitting next to Godric who had his had clamped on her thigh, holding it in his fingers, his thumb roaming over her skin. "So I only have a seminar tomorrow, but I might stay late and work in the library. I'll be back before dinner though."

"Stay as long as you need," Godric insisted as she took a sip of water.

"Anyway, if I do get enough work done then I should be able to take the weekend off. Do you have anything planned?"

"I have an idea of what I would like to do, but I assure you that it does not involve leaving the house," Godric said and Amelia almost spat her water out as she took another glug. She pushed a hand over her mouth and turned her gaze on to Godric who sent her a sly smirk. "It has been a while, my love."

"Sorry," Amelia responded, wiping her mouth and placing her glass down. "I guess-"

"-I don't want your apologies, Amelia," Godric said. "I would just like to wake up one night with you by my side."

"This vampire/human thing isn't really easy, huh?" Amelia commented.

"We are coping," Godric said.

"I know," Amelia said. "I know I have been wrapped up in the course for the past few weeks…what with making new friends and trying to understand everything…it will calm down eventually."

"Excuses are not needed, Amelia," Godric promised her in a gentle tone. "Believe me, if I can have just one day of the week with you and only you, then I shall be happy because I know that you are happy."

Amelia almost rolled her eyes at his comment, but she instead moved and pecked Godric on the cheek, slipping from the stool at the breakfast bar. Grabbing her plate, she placed the leftovers in a Tupperware box before depositing the plate, cutlery and glass into the dishwasher.

"You're too sweet, you know that?" Amelia said to Godric as she finished clearing things away.

Spinning on the stool, Godric watched her finish her clearing away, wiping her hands on the skirt she wore over her thick woollen tights. She tucked her hair behind her ears and reached for the kitchen roll and disinfectant spray, cleaning the worktop of the breakfast bar.

"I have very rarely been called that before," Godric informed her.

She smiled and kissed him on the lips, the motion hasty before pulling back. "Well, I think you are very sweet," she commented to him. "What are your plans for the rest of the evening?"

"I have a meeting at one, but it is taking place at the Hotel Carmilla. It is somewhat of a vampire town meeting," Godric said. "Members of the AVL will be there and my attendance is required. Vampire crime rate is on the up in Dallas. I suspect Nan Flanagan will be looking for blood, specifically my blood, due to the fact I am Sheriff."

"It is hardly your fault," Amelia said. "You have been on patrol most nights. You need some other people in your area to help."

"The fact that they think they can get away with this kind of behaviour in my area is shocking to say the least," Godric said as Amelia tossed away the kitchen roll. "My reputation usually precedes me. It should be enough to keep them in line. I can only suspect they are new vampires who do not know of me yet."

"But they will?"

"These vampires need to be made an example of," Godric said. "No doubt the Magister will deal with them as he sees fit, but I need to find them. I need to do something."

"You never said that this was an issue," Amelia informed Godric, moving to stand in front of him, her hands going to his shoulders and squeezing them. "Why do you think it suddenly is?"

"I do not know," Godric admitted, "but I shall find out."

"You could have told me," Amelia said. "You kept this quiet."

"Because it will be something of nothing," Godric shrugged. "It will be something that can be resolved with ease, I shall see to that. Besides, I did not think it to be important."

"Well, I think it seems pretty important," Amelia said to him. "You…you look tired, Godric…and pale…paler than usual."

Godric managed to force himself to smile. "I am fine."

"But you are not," Amelia retorted. "If you need some blood then just ask. When was the last time you drank? You need to keep your strength up and you know that I am more than happy to help you."

"I know," Godric nodded, kissing her chastely.

He pulled back as Amelia moved a hand to her hair, gathering it into her hands and pulling it over one shoulder. His eyes shifted to her neck, looking at the pale skin and imagining what it would feel like to sink his fangs into her skin once more. He could not deny that he longed to taste her again. Moving a hand to the back of her head, Godric let his fingers run down her hair over her shoulder, tangling into the end that rested on her chest.

"I only need very little blood, my love," Godric told her. "But I will heal you, if you are certain."

"Of course," she nodded.

Godric felt his fangs snick downwards as he leaned forwards, still seated on the stool as Amelia stood between his legs. Moving an arm behind her, he firmly held her waist as he felt her hands on his upper arms, holding them softly. His nose ran the length of her neck, feeling her shudder as he breathed out after holding in a deep breath. He tested her skin for a brief second, his fangs pressing against the skin before he let them tear through. He heard her try to hold in a moan of pain, but those moans soon turned to ones of pleasure as he drank from her.

Closing his eyes, Godric tried to restrain himself, but he was finding it quite difficult. He continued to drink before he felt Amelia's weight grow in his arms. He pulled back then, his fangs still protruding from his mouth as he looked to Amelia. He saw her eyes widen as he wiped his mouth, licking his lips as he heard her breathing hitch at the sight of him. Pressing a finger to his fangs, he then healed the wound before he let his fangs retract.

"Thank you," Godric nodded once.

"What time did you say your meeting was?" Amelia wondered.

"One," Godric said.

"Do you need me to come with you?" Amelia asked from him. "I'm happy to come with you-"

"-No," Godric interrupted, shaking his head as he wiped away the dried blood on her skin with his thumb, feeling her shudder as he kept a hand dipped into the small of her back. "I know you only want to support me, but this is vampire business that I must deal with on my own. I shall be fine, Amelia. I assure you."

"Okay," she nodded. "If you're sure."

"I am sure," Godric promised her. "However, I do not need to leave the nest for another five hours."

"So what do you want to do?" Amelia asked and Godric moved his hands from her back, coming over her waist and down to her thighs as he clasped the end of her skirt, pushing it upwards on her thighs. Amelia laughed once as Godric moved to his feet, trapping her against the worktop and cupboards.

"I think we both know how a human and a vampire can feel after feeding," Godric said to her as he tugged her skirt to her waist and his thumbs hooked into the waistband of her tights. He bent down slightly as he tugged the woollen material down her thighs, his fingers tickling against her soft skin as he stopped at her knees and then ripped them off, the tearing noise echoing through the kitchen.

"Hey!" Amelia complained. "Godric, tights aren't cheap."

"Neither is that underwear set you are wearing, but I intend to destroy that very soon too," Godric responded as he grabbed her by the backs of her thighs, hauling her upwards and against him as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"You are not ruining anything else," she warned him.

Godric smirked. "I doubt you are in a position to complain," Godric said to her, kissing down her neck before whispering in her ear. "Besides, I can smell your arousal."

"Godric!" Amelia chastised him before shaking her head.

Godric chuckled and kissed her squarely on the lips. "I apologise, my love," Godric said. "But there is something about you that I find quite insatiable."

Amelia laughed as he carried her forwards and towards the staircase. "That sounds slightly more romantic," Amelia said.

"Again, I have never been called romantic before," Godric said. "But I guess I have never fallen for someone quite like I have you."

Amelia managed a smile then, uncertain of what else she could say to him. She knew that she adored Godric. She knew that she was falling for him. There could be no denying that. But could she tell him that she loved him? Did she know if she did love him? She suspected she was on the way to falling in love with him. But she didn't entirely know what to say in that moment. Thankfully, Godric didn't seem to mind. Instead he smiled and pecked her lips.

"I know," was all he said.

"I…I…feel the same, Godric," Amelia promised him. "Don't think that I don't."

Godric smiled gently. "I do not need words to know how you feel," he promised her. "We both know how we feel and that is all that matters."

Amelia nodded before kissing him once more, wondering if she already knew how she felt and if that was part of the problem.

…

Godric had left Amelia sleeping, knowing that it would be for the best. He had dressed silently after a quick shower. He had placed a soft kiss to Amelia's forehead and left her in her own bed in the guest room she had made her own. He had left a note on the drawers, wishing her a good day when she woke. The meeting had been due to take place at one in the morning at the Hotel Carmilla in the function room, a place that Godric was familiar with.

While the general meeting had been filled with local vampires worried over vampires attacking humans in Dallas, Godric knew that Nan Flanagan wanted to talk privately with him. As soon as they entered the meeting room, Godric knew that something was troubling her. He said nothing as he took a seat to her right at the large wooden table, fingers laced on top of the surface.

"You're fucking things up, Sheriff," Nan told him.

Godric arched a brow. "Excuse me?" he responded.

"It's pretty simple to understand, isn't it?" Nan snapped back at him. "Why the fuck do you think there is so much crime in Dallas right now?"

"I do not know," Godric snapped back as Nan finally flounced into a seat, arms folding over her chest as she arched a brow. "Perhaps it has to do with the fact that there are too many new vampires-"

"-It's because you are too busy fucking your human for them to be scared of you," Nan interrupted, not wanting to listen to Godric's many reasons. "You're losing your touch, Sheriff. We need someone who can keep order in Area Nine."

Godric pursed his lips, not entirely enjoying the way that Nan was talking to him, but perhaps she had a point. Had he been so blind? Had he been so remiss?

"There is talk among some of the vampires here that you've turned soft," Nan continued, drumming her fingers on the table in front of her. "They say that you aren't noticing what you once did. It's because of that why they think they can get away with breaking the Vampire Law. Plus we've got Steve Newlin adding fuel to the fire."

Godric nodded once. "I see," he commented.

"Do you?" Nan demanded from him. "You know, people love you, Godric. The humans who aren't with Steve fucking Newlin adore you and that human of yours, but it's not them who we need on side. We need humans to feel safe again…but then you've got Stan who lives in your house and doesn't seem to mind disobeying the law, even though he lives with a Sheriff!"

"I shall rectify the situation," Godric assured Nan. "I shall patrol the area more often."

"People used to fear you, Godric," Nan said. "Why else do you think you were made Sheriff? Hell, you could have been King if you wanted, but you settled with Sheriff. You need to show them that you earned your reputation as Death for a reason. Are we clear?"

"Crystal," Godric said.

"Good," Nan nodded once. "Although I have to say that I had thought your relationship with the Jones girl was just for show. Turns out it's real, huh?"

"Very much so," Godric said.

Nan scoffed and moved to her feet, flattening her dress down her lap as she did so and rolled her eyes. "What's so special about her that she had two vampires running around her? She better be a good fuck, Godric, or else you're turning weak for nothing."

Godric moved in a second then, his speed and agility besting Nan as he grabbed her by the throat and pushed her against the wall. She grunted once and let out a short gasp as Godric kept his gaze hooded and his face stoically calm, despite his hard grip on Nan.

"I know your position in the AVL, Ms Flanagan," Godric said. "But you should also know that I am over two thousand years old. I have killed countless humans and vampires for daring to do nothing but look at me in the wrong way. Can you imagine what I might do if someone spoke out of turn?"

Letting her go, Godric let his hands dangle by his sides as Nan glowered at him. She shook her head. "I could have you terminated for that," she snarled at him.

"Then do it," Godric said. "Find someone else to clean up the mess in Dallas. I doubt there would be anyone who could do it as quickly as I can. You say that people used to be scared of my reputation, Ms Flanagan? Believe me, I shall ensure that they still are, but perhaps you should also understand that too."

Nan said nothing then, choosing to purse her lips before she saw Godric walk away without giving her a second glance. A part of her wanted to punish him for what he had done to her. She was the spokesperson for the AVL. She had considerable power. But she knew Godric. She knew the rumours about him. She had heard the stories. Even a small part of her feared what he might be capable of, despite his calm demeanour he presented. Besides, he was the best person to clean up this mess if he got his backside in gear.

"You have one week!" she called out to him. "Or else the AVL take action."

Godric did not acknowledge her comment. Instead he let his teeth grind together as he left the Hotel, pulling out the car keys from his pocket. Instead of letting the valet park his car, Godric had arrived early enough to park a block away, preferring time for a short walk in the fresh air. He shook his head with disgust as he wondered how he could have been so naïve, the cool night air hitting him as he walked down the sidewalk.

Had he truly been so enamoured by Amelia that he had neglected his duties? He had been patrolling in the evening as often as possible, Isabel by his side to help him. He did not know that things had become quite so bad, but he also did not know that it was down to people not respecting him. He had been blinded. Vampires had been blinded. They needed to be reminded that he was the law in the area. He may not be King of Area Nine, but he was Sheriff. He would see that those who dared to break the law understood that when they faced his wrath.

As he unlocked his car, he turned his head to the side as another vehicle pulled up alongside his. He said nothing as he saw the window roll down, a familiar face appearing in his line of vision. He reacted then, snarling as his fangs dropped into view. The man in the back of the large SUV chuckled, pushing a hand through his neatly coiffed hair.

"Don't worry, fang, I have no intention of killing you just yet."

"Then what do you want?"

His lips arched then. "Get in the car and find out."

…

Amelia awoke the following morning on her own in the guest room. She flung her arm out to the side as her alarm blared at seven. She finally hit the button and rolled to her other side, longing to see Godric resting besides her, but the space was empty. She sighed once and sat up, tugging the duvet with her as she reached for her robe at the end of the bed. Slipping into it, she moved to the bathroom across the hall, looking down to Godric's bedroom. The door was wide open and she furrowed her brow before moving over to it, peering inside to find the bed made.

She moved down the stairs then, sensing that it was eerily quiet. Stan was no doubt at some friend's house and Isabel would probably be with Hugo. Amelia stepped into the kitchen, looking around before her eyes settled on Godric's study. She couldn't hear any noise coming from the room, but she knew how silent he could be when working.

Folding her fingers into a fist, she knocked on the door. It only took a moment before Godric stood before her, the door held open in his fingers. His head peeked around the corner as he kept the door covering his body. Looking to her, she arched a brow before seeing a look she couldn't read passed his face.

"Godric, the sun is out," Amelia said. "Is everything alright? Shouldn't you be resting?"

"I am perfectly well," Godric promised her. "I have business to attend to and the sun has just risen. I shall rest soon."

"Okay," Amelia drawled, not entirely happy with his answer, but she knew how stubborn he could be. "Did everything go okay last night?"

"It was fine," Godric assured her. "Amelia, I must finish business, my love. I will speak with you when you return this evening. Jared is driving you to campus today. I spoke with him last night about it."

Amelia rolled her eyes. "Are you still insisting that I have some vampire bodyguard? Godric, it has been two weeks and the Newlins haven't mentioned me in any interview or anything."

"Precautions," Godric spoke and moved to kiss her chastely on the lips. "Now I shall see you this evening."

Amelia watched him close the door then and she shook her head. Sighing, she wondered why he had acted so strange before she went back up the stairs to shower. Godric listened to her walk away before leaning against the wood and closing his eyes. He should have told her what had happened the previous night. He shouldn't keep things from her. He hated it when she kept things from him. But he didn't want to worry her. He couldn't see her panicked and no doubt she would be if she knew the truth.

Looking down for a second, Godric knew that he should have killed him. He should have killed him and faced the consequences. Fuck Nan Flanagan. Fuck the AVL. But then Amelia would be ruined. Every decision Godric made the previous night had been for Amelia. But he swore that nothing would happen to her. He just knew he had to tell her the truth before she heard it from someone else.

…

A/N: A bit of mystery at the end. If anyone is still reading, do let me know what you think. I know it has been a while since the last update!


	26. Chapter 26

After a long day at college, Amelia decided against staying and working in the library. Instead she spent an hour in the gym, grateful that she always kept her gym gear in the car. Jared, Godric's hired bodyguard, was, for the most past, silent. He wore a leather jacket and dark jeans. His red hair was slicked back on his head and he tended to wear sunglasses, even when it wasn't sunny. Amelia had done her best to converse with him and had managed to figure out that he had a girlfriend, but no other family. For the most part he was quiet.

As she left the gym, her bag hanging over her shoulder, she saw him holding the back door of the car open for her. After asking why she couldn't sit in the front on his first day, he had told her that the back was safer due to its tinted windows. She hadn't bothered arguing with him, sensing that it would be better simply to follow instructions than go against them, especially when safety was concerned around Godric.

"Hey, Jared," Amelia said. "Sorry for keeping you."

"I don't mind, ma'am, I get paid regardless," he spoke and Amelia chuckled before slipping into the backseat. She pushed her ponytail over her shoulder and unzipped her jacket, wondering if she should have showered and changed in the gym before returning home.

"You know, you can call me Amelia," she said once Jared had climbed into the driver's seat. "In fact, I think I would prefer it if you just called me Amelia."

"I would hate to anger the Sheriff by being disrespectful," Jared commented and Amelia scoffed as he began to drive the sleek Mercedes away from the gym.

"Leave Godric to me," Amelia said. "He would hardly get angry about that and, if he did, then I'd make him see sense. So please, just call me Amelia."

Jared said nothing then and Amelia popped her lips, tiring of the silence and so she decided to talk again, trying to worm as much as she could out of Jared, despite knowing that she might not get much from him.

"So how long have you been working for Godric?" Amelia questioned.

"I worked for a Sheriff in another Area," Jared said. "But then Sheriff Godric asked for me once my time with my previous employer was over. He saw my recommendations and asked me to come and work for him. I have to say, it is the best paid job I have had in a long time. He is a very generous Sheriff."

"I did tell him that I didn't need a bodyguard," Amelia said, "but he seems to be pretty protective."

"Vampire nature," Jared responded. "Although I trust that you know all about that."

"I guess," Amelia shrugged. "So what-"

Amelia never got a chance to finish her sentence. Instead she felt herself being jolted in her seat as the car went sliding across the road. Amelia screamed loudly before the car stopped spinning and she saw smoke coming from the engine. Grabbing hold of her head after it had hit the headrest with force, she felt a sense of nausea pass through her alongside a feeling of dizziness. Jared was quicker than she was. He unbuckled his seat belt and stumbled from the car, pulling the back door open and reaching for Amelia.

Unbuckling her belt, he reached for her waist, his sunglasses now completely gone and revealing his piercing blue eyes. He helped to pull her from the car, keeping an arm around her waist as they looked across the highway to see the car that they had hit. It was dented beyond repair, smoke also coming from it as Amelia's eyes widened and she saw four men stood in the middle of the road, but there was one figure that she recognised instantly. Her eyes widened as Jared stood in front of her, a hand on his gun in its holster as he prepared for the worst.

Of course, if push came to shove then he knew that he could do much more damage than a gun, but he hoped it didn't come to that. He didn't want to shift, but if he had to then he would.

"What the fuck?" Amelia hissed.

Jared turned back to look to her. "Do you know him?"

"He is my ex-fiancé," Amelia commented, glowering over at him as he stood in the middle of the road, a smug look on his face.

"Shit," Jared mumbled.

"I just want to talk," Daniel spoke and Amelia scoffed.

"So you ram our car because you want to talk?" she demanded from him. "Excuse me if I don't believe your bullshit."

"I assume the vampire does not keep you around for your manners," Daniel commented and Amelia felt her hands clench into fists. "Regardless, Amelia, I need to speak with you. You see, your beloved Godric might just be done for soon enough. I take it he told you what happened last night?"

Amelia frowned and Daniel chuckled, hands going to his hips as he smirked.

"Well, well, well," he drawled at the sight on her face. "Is he keeping secrets from you already? How can any relationship truly survive on such lies and distrust?"

"What are you going on about?" Amelia demanded from him, still keeping her distance.

Daniel began to move forwards, but Jared reacted with haste, standing in front of her body as Amelia suddenly wondered how strange this entire situation was. There were no cars behind them on the stretch of quiet road. There were no pedestrians. It was deserted. It was completely empty. Did he want this? Was this part of a plan?

Daniel held his hands up as he noted Jared turn even more protective. He chuckled and shook his head. "He gave you a bodyguard?" Daniel asked from her. "He really does treat you like a pet…a pet that no one else can have."

"What the fuck do you want, Daniel? Get on with it so I can go home."

Rolling his eyes, Daniel chucked his cell forwards and Jared caught hold of it, looking down to the screen. There were blurry images, but Amelia could recognise the people in the images without difficulty. The angle was awkward, but it seemed to show the back of Daniel, but Godric's face was in clear view. They were clearly in the back of a car.

"Press play," Daniel demanded from her.

She did as he had said, pressing play. There was no volume, but she could see that Godric was getting angry. His eyes narrowed and his fangs bared after a moment as he seemed to hiss. She had no idea what was going on, but after a moment, Godric had his hand around Daniel's throat. He let go after a few moments and then climbed from the vehicle. The video ended and Amelia shrugged, looking back over to Daniel while Jared continued to hold the cell.

"So what?" she demanded from him.

Daniel stepped closer then, his footsteps light and a smirk on his face. "There's no volume on there, but the images are pretty clear. I simply went to Godric…pleaded with him to undo the glamour he had placed on you and in return he attacked me."

"Please," Amelia drawled, "you were clearly winding him up."

"True," Daniel said, "but why would people believe that? You see, I had a lip reading expert translate what he said in that clip…words such as 'You will never her,' 'she is mine' and 'I will never give her up', certainly seem quite possessive. Luckily there is no camera showing my angle, but why would that matter?"

"Do you honestly believe people will take your side?" Amelia demanded from him. "People do not believe you, Daniel. How are you even here?"

"Your father and I have a plan," Daniel commented. "He has claimed that I knew nothing about the facility he was running. There is no evidence linking it to me. As far as people are concerned, I am a scorned fiancé who simply wants the love of his life back who has been glamoured by a monster to say what he wants her to say. And this video…the words he says…the way he acts…people will believe it. I am going to bring him down, Amelia. I am going to make him pay."

"Do you think that you will win?" Amelia demanded from him. "I am not going to abandon him. I will stand by his side. We know the truth. We will fight this and we will fight you."

Daniel chuckled. "I was hoping that you would say that," he said, "because I am ready, Amelia. I am ready to do what your father was too weak to do. I am ready to win this war against vampires, starting with Godric and you. That video you have seen has gone out on every news station this evening. People will be debating the truth…but that is the thing, isn't it? People don't need the truth. They just need a story and a side to believe…a side that resonates with them. Unfortunately for you, there are more and more people who detest vampires. They want them gone. They want them dead. They will take my side because of that. They will understand."

"What the hell did I ever do to you?" Amelia demanded from him. "You never wanted to marry me."

"No," he admitted, "I admit that you were very attractive to me at one stage…when I worked your father's campaign and saw you. I won't pretend that I didn't have fantasies, but then I got to know you and that soon changed. I never loved you. I never cared for you. The fact that you could advance my career was a bonus and the fact that I could get into your pants was another bonus, but then you went and ruined everything. You tried to ruin my chance at a career…of becoming a Senator…a Governor…something bigger. So now I want what I was owed and I am going to take it."

"You were owed nothing," Amelia seethed. "You decided to hurt vampires. You made that choice. You do not deserve to be in politics."

"Oh, darling," Daniel chuckled. "Politics is not about what we deserve, but what we can take…and I am going to tread over you to get it."

"Enough," Jared said, not caring for how close he was getting to Amelia as he stepped back. "Do not make me do something I might regret."

"Like what?" Daniel wondered. "Attacking us?"

"If needs must."

"No," Amelia said, grabbing Jared's arm. "That's what he wants. He will only use it to further his cause."

Daniel smirked, eyeing Amelia with intrigue. "Clever girl," he spoke.

"You won't get away with this," Amelia said. "We will see to that."

"Of course," Daniel said. "I will be seeing you around, Amelia."

Walking off, Daniel climbed into a different car, leaving the two wrecked cars in the middle of the road. Amelia closed her eyes for a moment before she saw Jared turn to look to her, a hint of fear in his eyes.

"Godric is going to kill me," he mumbled.

"I think we have bigger things to worry about, Jared," Amelia said. "Leave Godric to me."

…

After taking a cab the remainder of the way home, the sun had finally set by the time Jared and Amelia walked through the front door. Godric was already up, perched on the worktop counter and looking to the TV in the living room across from him. He didn't move from where he sat, his gaze remained on the screen as Amelia tossed her keys into the bowl at the end of the counter. Folding her arms over her chest, she looked from the TV screen and onto Godric as he looked to her, seeing a trickle of dried blood on her forehead.

In an instant, he was in front of her, his hand stretched towards her as he ran his thumb over the dried blood. "What happened?" he demanded from her before looking to Jared, feeling his jaw clench. "Where were you?"

"Hold up," Amelia demanded from Godric, taking hold of his hand before he could advance on Jared. "We were in a car crash, Godric. I didn't even know I was bleeding."

"A car crash?" he echoed back to her, moving his hands to cup her face, examining her intently. "Were you injured anywhere else? Amelia, are you well?"

"Godric, I am fine," she promised him, taking his hands from her face, holding them in her grip. "Jared managed to keep the car upright and the crash had been orchestrated by Daniel who, apparently, is a free man after my father took the wrap for him. But you already knew that, didn't you?"

Godric hummed in the back of his throat. "Ah."

"Did you intend to tell me?" Amelia asked of him, a sense of anger in her voice.

"Jared, you may leave," Godric said, sensing that he needed to converse with Amelia alone.

"Yes, Sheriff," Jared said.

"Goodnight, Jared," Amelia said as she saw him walk away and he nodded to her once.

Moving to lean back against the worktop, Amelia once again folded her arms over herself. "So?" she urged from him.

"I know how it comes across on TV," Godric said. "Believe me, I have spent the past half an hour listening to people debate whether I am a wronged creature or the spawn of Satan. But I had finished in the meeting and he asked to speak with me. He said things, Amelia…about how he would get you back…about how he would have you again…and I reacted. I see that now. I see that was what he wanted, but I had no idea there was a camera in that car. I was rash. I was not thinking straight, but I never do when it comes to you. I never think coherently or rationally. I think like a vampire."

Amelia sighed and nodded her head. "Godric, I do not blame you. I know that he set you up, but I wish you had told me this morning. I knew something was wrong and you told me everything was fine when, clearly, it wasn't."

"I didn't know what to say," Godric admitted to her. "I didn't think that this would happen. Believe me, I never intended for any of this."

"I know," Amelia assured him. "But we will get through it."

"And how many more obstacles are there going to be, Amelia?" Godric enquired from her. "We have faced your father. We have faced a deranged vampire, but still it continues. Still we keep fighting. Do you not grow tired with it all?"

Amelia nodded her head. "Of course I do," she said in a gentle tone as she looked to Godric. He might have fed the previous night, but he still looked extremely exhausted and drained. He did not look healthy in the slightest. "Godric, I want this to end, but if we give up…if we just let them win…then what?"

"That is what I am wondering," Godric commented and Amelia wondered what he was thinking of as she moved towards him, a hand moving through his hair as she let her fingers tangle in his short locks. "The AVL have already contacted me. They wish for us to make another statement refuting the comments this evening. I told Nan that I would get back to her."

"So we go again," Amelia sighed.

"If I could go back to Europe then that would be the dream," Godric mused, his arms circling her waist. "Back to tranquillity…peace…where nothing mattered."

"Then why don't we just do that?" Amelia wondered from him. "Why don't we just go back and fuck all of this?"

Godric smiled gently, a hand moving to stroke her cheek. "Do not tempt me, my love," he urged of her. "But you have a life, Amelia. You have a college course you love…a life…I cannot steal that from you."

"I have stole things from you, Godric, by involving you with my ridiculous family," Amelia said. "If I had never met you that night then you wouldn't have been tangled up in any of this."

"If you had never have met me then I would be dead by now," Godric spoke in a hushed tone. "That is the truth, Amelia. I would not have kept living…existing…not without you."

"Don't say that," she urged from him.

"It is the truth," Godric responded. "You have given me something I had never thought possible in my vampire life. You have given me love…pure love…and while you might not be able to say it, I know it to be true. I know how you feel and I never thought I would have it…not like this."

Amelia's brows knitted together as she ran a hand along Godric's cheek. "What are you saying?" she asked from him.

"Nothing," he lied to her. "I am simply saying that, despite all of this controversy, I would not give you up for anything."

"Good," Amelia nodded. "Because I have no intention of going anywhere."

…

The following weeks were proving to be difficult. Getting people to believe the truth was almost impossible. Amelia felt people staring at her wherever she went, questioning if she knew what was going on in her own life. She heard whispers of 'that poor girl has been glamoured within an inch of her life' and 'do you think she knows who she really is?' Then there were the ones who believed she was just a liar who wasn't glamoured. She was a liar who had chosen this path. 'Vampire's whore' and 'fangbanging slut' were just comments she tried not to acknowledge.

Jared had been watching the young woman with intrigue during the day. She had insisted on going about her business as usual, but he was seeing a deflated attitude the longer it went on. Daniel had announced his campaign to run for office and was still claiming that he wanted Amelia back, despite her being with Godric. He still maintained that she was glamoured, despite the AVL refuting any such claim.

It was as the weeks went on when Jared noted a change in Amelia. Long gone was the chirpy young woman who tried to converse. Instead she remained silent during their drives and when he went shopping with her. He would hear the comments made about her, but he did nothing. He had only been told to intervene when a threat became evident. Godric did not want any more violence.

After college one day, Amelia had asked if they could stop at the supermarket a few blocks away. Jared had agreed; walking by her side as she tossed food into a basket she was carrying. It was only when they came to the milk did Amelia have a sense of déjà vu as someone dared to speak to her. She had been here before many months ago. She had already lived this moment of strangers daring to intervene in her business.

"You should be ashamed of yourself," the woman spoke and Amelia focused on grabbing a pint of milk. "Trying to cover up your infidelity by claiming that nice young man is a liar. You will burn with that creature one day."

Amelia looked to the woman, her eyes wide as she ground her teeth together. Remembering how she had handled the situation before, she didn't do the same this time. Instead she reacted in the way people wanted her to.

"Go fuck yourself," Amelia seethed and turned to walk away, forgetting entirely about the milk as she went to the checkout and Jared followed her, leaving the woman aghast.

Amelia paid for her items and Jared carried them back to the car, placing them in the trunk before driving her home, pretending not to notice the tears she wiped away with a sniff. She looked out the window, her eyes focused on the passing scenery as the sun set completely and night fell over them.

As per usual, Jared carried her shopping into the kitchen and Amelia began to put them away. Godric greeted her with a chaste kiss before looking to Jared. But instead of leaving silently, Jared spoke up.

"May I have a word, Sheriff?" he enquired from Godric.

Godric nodded once as Amelia went about her own business. Leading Jared into his office, Godric closed the door after him. He offered him a seat, but the tall man preferred to stand, fiddling with his sunglasses in his fingertips.

"How can I help, Jared?"

"It's about Miss Walters…Amelia…" Jared declared.

Godric arched a brow. "What about her?"

"I know that this might not be my place," Jared said, hands help up in defence. "But I've noticed a change…in her…she's struggling, Sheriff."

"I see," Godric said, moving to take a seat behind his desk. "I know that she keeps things from me. When I ask her how her day has been she tends to say fine and leave it at that. I have seen her, however, and I know her better than she thinks."

"I do not doubt that," Jared responded. "But I just wanted to tell you that during the day…well…things aren't great."

"I understand," Godric nodded.

"Right," Jared said and nodded, turning on his heel to leave.

Walking by Amelia, Jared nodded once, meeting her eye as she began cutting up an onion. "Have a good night, Jared."

"You too, ma'am," he responded formally and took his leave.

Godric left his office, leaning against the door with his arms folded as he looked to Amelia as she cut up the onion and set about making a casserole for dinner. His eyes remained set on her and he wondered what he should do. They had already released numerous statements on the AVL's behalf. Amelia had appeared on TV. She had done everything to try and persuade people that Daniel was lying, but it was not enough. It was a classic he said, she said.

"Do you have any plans this weekend?" Godric suddenly asked out of nowhere.

"I have some work I need to catch up on," Amelia commented. "But nothing that I couldn't do over the term time break."

"Good," Godric said with a nod of his head. "Pack a bag."

"What?" Amelia wondered.

"Nan Flanagan is off my back about the vampire problem in Dallas for the time being considering I have been patrolling most nights to sort it with Isabel. We are going away for the weekend. We are having two nights away from this…away from people…their opinions…all of it."

Amelia placed the knife down and turned to look to him, a sad smile on her face. "But we can't hide forever," she responded.

"I know," Godric assured her, moving towards her, his hand going to cup her cheek. "I will sort this, Amelia, but I will sort it when we return. For this weekend…I just want us. I want you."

Amelia's brow furrowed. "How will you sort it?"

"I don't know yet," Godric lied to her, "but let's just get away for the weekend. Please."

Amelia nodded her head, moving to let her cheek press against his hollow neck as he embraced her, holding her tightly to him as he swore to savour the weekend alone with her. He would sort this mess. He would sort all of it. But he just needed the weekend first.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	27. Chapter 27

Looking to Amelia as she slept soundly, Godric brushed her hair from her back, his gaze remaining intense as he stared at her, knowing that what he was about to do would hurt her more than he could imagine. He had tried to think of every other scenario, but there was nothing logical that he could come up with. The more he thought about it, the more he grew convinced that he was going to make the right decision. It would pain him, of course, but he had to do it. He had to leave to give Amelia a better future. He knew if she got wind of what he was thinking then she would try to stop him.

He also knew that he could be stopped. If she pleaded and begged then he doubted he would be strong enough to go through with it. But then he thought about how he was robbing her of so much by being with her. He was taking away daylight. He was taking away her ability to start a family. While she claimed she didn't want any of that, he couldn't help but think she might change her mind in the years to come. He did not want to be responsible for even an ounce of doubt she felt.

He had been with her long enough and he finally knew what it felt like to be loved. Godric had doubted he would ever know what that felt like, but finally it had happened for him. He closed his eyes and continued to let his fingers knot through her hair as he leant against the headboard and she slept soundly on her front. His lips arched and he remained content at that feeling. He would carry it with him until his final moments. Of course, he knew that Amelia would be fuming. She would be angry and upset, but those emotions would pass. She would find someone better for her. She would find someone who would not cause her the pain that Godric had.

Moving from his thoughts as he heard Amelia stir, Godric let his gaze look down to her as she shifted, rolling onto her side and stuffing a hand under the pillow. Her eyes opened and she looked up to him as he brushed his thumb over her cheekbone.

"Don't you need to rest?" she questioned sleepily and Godric slid down the bed then, his arm wrapping around her to drag her closer to him until her face was burrowed against his neck and her arms around his bare torso.

"As I have said many times before, my stamina is much higher than yours, my love," he teased her and felt her chuckle deeply against him. Closing his eyes again, Godric moved a hand up to the back of her head, cupping the back of her neck to keep her by his side.

"Was twice not enough for you, you insatiable vampire?"

"Hmm," Godric hummed, his lips pulling upwards. "When it comes to you, my love, I doubt I will ever grow tired."

"You really are a sweet talker," Amelia muttered and tightened her grip around him as he chuckled. "So," she changed the topic, "what are we doing tonight?"

"Whatever you wish," Godric said to her.

He had chosen a luxury hotel in Chicago to spend a night at, but truth be told, he would prefer not to venture out at all. He was more than content laid in that bed with Amelia, pretending that the weekend would never end and that he would not have to go back to normality.

"I really don't want to move," Amelia said and Godric felt an incline of hope that they were on the same page. "Can we not just order room service, watch bad TV and lay in that massive tub in the bathroom?"

Godric did laugh then, nodding his head. "That sound ideal," he responded.

"Excellent," Amelia responded. "I mean, I know I should check my cell, but I have no desire to deal with my mom's worrying or the endless number of journalists who keep asking for my side of the story."

"I imagine Nan Flanagan is fuming with me right now," Godric said and Amelia moved to look him in the eye, resting her head against her hand as she bent her elbow to take her weight. "Although, I must admit the idea of her losing her mind does entertain me."

"I thought that she was off your back?"

"About the vampire trouble," Godric confirmed. "However, I have been ignoring her further messages about the Daniel scenario. She seems to want us to go through the media circus again."

"Ugh," Amelia complained and flopped onto her back. "I mean, if we have to do it then we do it. I would rather just not."

"Believe me, my love, I feel exactly the same," Godric assured her.

"I know," Amelia sighed. "Maybe we could just leave, Godric? What if we just went far away from here? We could go somewhere new…we could be just us. We could be a couple and things would be simpler, wouldn't they? We could be happier than we are now."

Godric imagined it, trying not to let his face falter as he did so. The image of taking Amelia away from all of this and showing her things she would never have believed filled him with wonder. He wanted that. He wanted that very much. But it was selfish. Amelia would grow bored. He would always remember what he had taken from her and he couldn't do it.

"You are on a college course, Amelia," Godric said. "I have not seen you look as happy as you do now in a long time. You love what you study and you deserve to keep going, not throw it away simply because your ex-fiancé is telling lies."

"I know, but it would still be simpler."

"But it would not be what you truly want, would it?" Godric retorted and he saw the hesitance on her face, giving away the answer without her needing to say anything.

Going silent, Godric nodded his head and did his best to comprehend what he was thinking, his mind a complete whirl with everything. Sitting up once more, he leant against the headboard as Amelia pulled the duvet up with her, keeping it to her chest as she leant against his side, her head on his shoulder.

"We'll get through this," she said to him. "We've gone through a lot worse."

"Yes we have," Godric agreed with her. "But that is a thought for Monday. For now, I do believe there is nothing but you that I wish to lay all of my attention on, especially now that you're awake."

Amelia shrieked with laughter as he moved at vampire speed to pin her back to the mattress, kissing her neck slowly and softly before whispering in her ear; "I love you, Amelia."

He expected silence, but in return he received those words he never thought he would hear any human utter to him. She kissed him on the cheek, the only place her lips could gain access to as she spoke, her warm breath hitting his skin.

"I love you too, Godric."

….

Godric could sense a shift in the atmosphere as soon as the weekend had come to an end. Amelia had spent the Saturday filled with joy, laughing and joking with Godric about everything and nothing as they lay in bed together. Godric had sensed that carefree attitude leave her as soon as Sunday night rolled round and she finished dressing, pulling her jeans onto her legs and a sheer blouse onto her arms. Godric had watched her, his gaze intense before he moved to stand behind her, his arms wrapping around her waist and holding onto her, fingers splaying on his stomach.

She hummed gently at his touch, leaning back against him as Godric moved to kiss her neck, the motion slow and sensual as Amelia chuckled and struggled in his grip, turning around to look him in the eye, hands flat on his chest as she tossed her hair behind her shoulders.

"Godric, we are supposed to be getting dressed," she informed him, patting his chest. "This is making me want to do the complete opposite."

"True," Godric concurred with her. "I already informed the hotel we would check out by six…but that is not to say that I couldn't extend that."

"Hmm," Amelia hummed gently, "don't tempt me."

"I would hate to tempt you," Godric jested, bending down to peck her on the lips. "So come along, we shall go…you have college in the morning and I would hate for you to miss it."

"So would I," Amelia admitted, "although staying here with you sounds so much more appealing right now."

Godric moved to take hold of her fingers, his other hand picking up her bag and he wondered why she had packed so many items of clothing considering most of the weekend had been spent in her nightshirt or nothing at all. Then again, they didn't know that was how the evening was going to go when they were together. Godric kept hold of her hand as they checked out, only letting go when he had to drive the car back to the airbase.

The flight back to Dallas was quick, too quick for Godric's liking. Before he knew it they were back in the nest and, thankfully, Stan and Isabel were not home. Godric didn't know how he should act, knowing that he was going to go through with the act. He couldn't tell Amelia. He couldn't do that to her. Keeping quiet, he chewed down on his lip before he noticed Amelia moved into the kitchen, preparing her lunch for the following day.

"It is late, Amelia, you should rest," Godric said once she had finished making her lunch, placing the prepared salad into the fridge.

"I am going to bed," Amelia confirmed. "Will I see you tomorrow evening?"

"Of course," Godric lied to her. "Goodnight, my love, I will be up soon. I confess I am tired even though it is night."

"Okay," Amelia said.

"I will join you in your room," he told her, moving to sweep her hair behind her shoulder, the back of his hand resting on her cheek tenderly. She leant forwards, kissing him slowly before pulling back, sensing some form of hesitation. "Everything alright?"

Godric forced himself to smile, hoping that she was not picking up on his worry. He remained stoic for a second, his eyes not leaving hers before he bent down, tilting her head up with a finger under her chin. Letting his forehead brush against hers, he felt her nose bump with his before he exhaled and kissed her once more.

"Everything is fine, my love," Godric promised her. "I will be with you soon."

"Okay," Amelia said cautiously, not entirely certain if she was convinced. She said nothing further on the matter, knowing better than to push Godric. "I'll see you in a bit maybe. Goodnight, Godric."

"Goodnight, Amelia," Godric responded and watched her move off to the staircase. It was only when she was gone did he move into his office and sit down at his desk, picking up a pen and grabbing a piece of paper as he wondered what to write to her. What did he say? What could he say that would make any of this better? He didn't know. Instead he simply said what he thought, hoping that, somehow, one day, she might understand.

….

Amelia woke up at around seven the following morning to find Godric still sleeping peacefully by her side. He was definitely tired. She smiled down to him, remembering how she had briefly stirred the night before to move to rest in his grip. She tried not to wake him as she dressed, bending down to kiss him for a second before grabbing her bag and moving down the steps to the kitchen.

Godric pretended to be sleeping as he felt her kiss him, knowing that Amelia was going to be heading off to college momentarily. Once he was certain she had gone, he moved, knowing that he had to work despite the sun being out. He changed into his white shirt and pants, slipping his sneakers onto his feet before heading to his office. Perching in his chair, he finished writing his instructions for his lawyer, knowing full well that they would be carried out or they would face his wrath.

He had left Amelia the nest, instructing for it to be put in her name but stipulating that Stan and Isabel would always have a home there, just as Amelia would. His assets would be divided among the three of them. Godric knew that he could entrust Isabel to divide them equally. She was always sensible. She had always been the one with the brains. Once he had finished sending his instructions, he wondering what else was left for him to do.

Pulling out the letter from the drawer, he moved upstairs once again, placing it on the pillow of Amelia's bed before noticing the photo of her and Will on the chest of drawers. A sense of guilt passed through Godric as he thought about what she was going to feel. She had lost Will and now she would lose Godric. He hated himself for what he was going to do, but he had to. There was no other option. He moved his own hands to his neck, tugging off the necklace of the hammer he wore. Placing it to his lips, he held it there before placing it next to the letter.

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he waited until night fell before he made his move.

…

Standing in the office, Godric knew that he could kill everyone in that room without hesitation. He could snap their necks and drain them. They would be helpless. But what would that achieve? Godric couldn't be that vampire anymore. He was different. He was changed. He remained silent for a few moments, letting the two other men in the room stew for a few moments.

"I must confess, I am surprised," Steve Newlin spoke, perching on the chair across from Daniel who remained behind his desk, clearly liking the power that the position gave him. He was the one in charge. He was the one controlling the room while Godric remained stood before him. "I did not think to have a meeting with a fang."

"Nor did I," Daniel admitted. "Although I confess I am intrigued."

"I do not come here to fight or argue," Godric spoke. "I come here to make a proposition."

Daniel arched a brow. "And what proposition would that be?"

"I will give the Fellowship of the Sun what they want considering they are an ally to your campaign. I will give them a vampire that they can burn at the stake…let meet the sun…I will give them exactly that."

Daniel chuckled. "And who do you have in mind?"

"Myself."

The room went silent then, a sense of disbelief clearly taking over the two men. Godric almost wanted to smirk in smugness at being able to shut the pair of them up. But he remained mute. Instead he let them wonder what he was doing.

"Why?" Steve asked the obvious question.

"I do not do this without wanting something in return," Godric said and turned his glare to Daniel. "I want you to leave Amelia alone. I want you to renounce everything you have said about her…admit that she was never glamoured, but you were never in love. Admit that you have seen the error of your ways and that she is a decent woman who deserves none of this. Let her live the rest of her life in peace. Let her be happy. She does not need you torturing her like this."

Daniel moved to lace his fingers on top of the desk. "You would willingly turn yourself in to our cause to protect her? You are not going to fight this?"

"Is there any point?" Godric responded. "We have fought you before and look what good it did. She is tired…drained…exhausted…I worry she has no more fight in her. She would rather run and hide than fight. I do not want that for her. I do not want her to run away. I want her to stay here and do what she loves."

Daniel chuckled, leaning back in the chair and placing his hands on his stomach, flattening his tie against his muscles. "So you would really die for the dumb whore?"

Godric moved then, his hands grabbing hold of Daniel's throat as he pushed him against the wall, choking him as Steve moved to his feet, but he did nothing as Godric turned his snarling face to him, holding a finger up and indicating for him to be silent.

"Believe me," Godric hissed, "nothing would give me greater pleasure than snapping your neck right here and now. The only thing stopping me is knowing that there would be consequences that would fall on Amelia because of her association with me. She is the reason why you still have a pulse, you quivering, pathetic creature."

Godric tossed him to the side then and stood back, looking as he regained his footing and gathered his breath. Godric went back to being calm and composed as he looked to Daniel, his gaze expectant.

"Do we have a deal?"

"How do you know you can trust me?"

"Believe me, I do not trust you," Godric said. "But if you renege on your word then I have a Viking vampire who would make your death much more painful than I could, simply because I ask him to."

Daniel seemed to consider that, going silent as Steve chuckled and shrugged.

"It's a tempting offer," he said, looking to Daniel. "You know that we were looking to take one and he offers himself on a plate."

"I cannot be seen to have anything to do with this," Daniel said, his face red and his cheeks puffed out. "If this goes ahead then it is all to do with the Fellowship of the Sun, not my campaign, is that clear?"

"And when people find out our church is funding your campaign?"

"Irrelevant," Daniel waved a hand. "We can try to cover the funding up, but I will not publicly endorse it…not yet, anyway. Not until the time is right and more people take our side and realise what evil creatures vampires are."

Godric found himself growing slightly impatient with their talk. "Do we have a deal or not?"

"I think we should," Steve said, a smile on his face. "No one could accuse us of kidnapping him."

"Only blackmailing."

"It is not blackmail if I suggest it," Godric responded. "So, is it settled?"

Daniel shrugged. "I guess so," he said. "I have to say, you are the strangest vampire I have ever met…Amelia…such a boring woman…but she has managed to do this to you. She has managed to turn you into a quivering wreck."

Godric arched a brow once more. "Did you not learn to hold your tongue earlier?" he demanded from him. "I do not wish to listen to anymore of this. I wish for you to make good on your word before I go through with this plan. You are to go nowhere near Amelia again, is that understood?"

"With pleasure," Daniel chuckled.

Godric nodded solemnly then, knowing that his work was done.

…

Amelia moved back into the nest after Jared had left her alone. She had called out for Godric, but he was nowhere to be found. Dumping her bag on the worktop, she moved up the stairs and looked into the hallway, sensing no sign of life. Moving into her bedroom as she pulled her hair form her ponytail, she stepped further into the room before seeing the note on the bed. Arching a brow and wrinkling her nose, she picked it up, recognising Godric's hammer necklace next to it.

Instantly, she felt her spin stiffen and shivers rang down her body. Picking the letter up, she ripped the envelope and unfolded the piece of paper, reading the words with vigour and fear, not once looking away. She wiped the tears from her eyes as she imagined him talking the words to her. Shaking her head, she couldn't believe what he had done; worry coursing through her veins as she struggled to believe it.

Dropping the letter to the bed, she moved quickly down the steps and into his office, trawling through his desk until she found what she was looking for. Finally she picked out the black notebook full of numbers. Flicking it open, she found the number for the one vampire she thought might be able to help her. Picking up the phone on Godric's desk, she dialled the number in, tapping her foot impatiently as she listened to it ring.

"Fangtasia, Pam speaking, make it quick," a curt voice spoke down the phone and Amelia remained slightly put out for a moment.

"I need to speak to Eric Northman," Amelia said.

A sigh came from the other end. "Look, if he didn't call after he fucked you then that is just Eric. He isn't-"

"-No," Amelia interrupted. "I wouldn't touch him, but that's not the point. It is about his maker…it's Godric."

Before the woman could respond, she was wrestled off the phone and Amelia heard the gruff voice of the Viking vampire.

"What about Godric?"

"I don't know where he has gone…I…I really think he has done something stupid…he might be in danger."

"I'll be there in an hour," Eric responded and hung up as Amelia placed the phone down and sank into Godric's chair, wondering just what he had gone and done.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think, moving into the plotline of True Blood now!


	28. Chapter 28

Amelia had called Isabel as soon as soon as Eric had hung up. She hoped that she arrived before the Viking vampire, unwilling to deal with him on her own. Inhaling a sharp breath, she was relieved when Isabel walked in, dressed in a tight black dress with a large gold necklace around her neck. Amelia had asked Isabel to call Stan, preferring to have nothing to do with him. Isabel walked into the house, looking for Amelia and finding her pacing in the kitchen, her cell to her ear.

"I've called him over twenty times and he isn't picking up," Amelia said, looking to Isabel with worry. "He left me this."

She picked up the letter from the worktop counter, handing it over to Isabel and letting her scan over it. Isabel shook her head, folding it back up and then placing it down.

"He said that he has to do this for us…for me," Amelia said. "He's gone. He told me we would never see him again and I don't know what to do, Isabel. I don't understand. I don't understand why he would go now. I know that things were tough, but we were coping. We always coped."

"Do you have any idea where he might have gone?" Isabel asked of her. "Did he say anything while he was with you about where he may go?"

Amelia bit down on her lip, wondering what she should say to Isabel. Did she tell her everything that she knew? Did she tell her what Godric had planned all those months ago? Surely he couldn't be going through with it? Surely he wouldn't go through with it and leave her all alone. Amelia didn't think she could handle that. She didn't know if she could cope.

As she let her thoughts consume her, the door opened and another figure walked in, but this one looked less calm. Amelia felt herself gulp loudly, knowing that he was going to be angry. She had met Eric on simply a handful of occasions, but every time he had been snarky and snappy. But she knew he loved Godric. They both had that in common.

"What happened?" Eric snapped, foregoing any pleasantries that would cause Godric surely to snap at him. "Where is my maker?"

"We don't know, Eric," Isabel said.

"What did he say?" Eric said and Isabel handed him the letter he had left Amelia.

Eric's eyes narrowed as he turned his dominating stare onto Amelia and she realised that she had to tell both of them the truth. They deserved to know and they were the only ones she could think of to help save Eric.

"When I first met Godric he…he was talking about meeting the sun," Amelia said and Isabel looked horrified while Eric snarled. "He wanted to meet with me to talk about my links to the Fellowship of the Sun because I was engaged to Daniel. I told him to give me a month to change his mind…to persuade him to live…but he still mentioned it. He still mentioned meeting the sun."

"And you think to tell us this now!" Eric roared, picking up the vase on the end of the worktop and flinging it against the wall, his rage taking hold of him as he turned to look to her. Amelia flinched as the glass shattered, her eyes widening as Isabel moved to stand besides her. "You should have said something sooner. You should have opened your mouth and told us!"

"Godric asked me not to," Amelia said.

"And look where that has gotten you." Eric snarled and Amelia dropped her hands to her hips, challenging him with a harsh gaze.

"And if Godric asked you to keep a secret, would you disobey him?"

Eric said nothing in response to her, choosing to keep silent as she jutted her chin out and met his gaze, challenging him and refusing to back down. She folded her arms over her chest and nodded her head.

"Exactly," she said in response to his silence.

"Say if this is true," Isabel said in a soft hum, "say that Godric has willingly gone to the Fellowship, then what do we do? If the Fellowship has Godric then he had to have gone with them. He would not be overpowered."

"Where is Stan?" Eric said. "What does he make of all of this?"

"He is not answering my calls, but when he finds out then we all know how he will react. He will want blood…he will want the Fellowship wiped out. He does not think rationally. He has never thought rationally."

"I know that," Eric said, "but we might need him if we are to get Godric out."

"No," Isabel said sternly. "He has already slaughtered too many. His motives are not pure…he would see this as an opportunity to save Godric, but also to take out the Fellowship. And then what would Nan Flanagan say?"

"Fuck what Nan thinks," Eric sneered.

"While I tend to agree, we need to think of Godric. We do not want the Authority on his back for his actions," Isabel said. "We need to do this quietly and quickly. We need a way to get him out."

"That is if he is there," Amelia said with a shrug of her shoulders. "We are simply assuming that is where he has gone, but we have no evidence or proof."

"So we get some," Eric said.

"And how do we do that?" Isabel wondered from him.

"I know Sarah Newlin," Amelia spoke. "I mean, I met her at dinner a few times and she seems saner than her husband. She might tell me if I ask to meet her."

Eric scoffed. "She will know you have ulterior motives," he said. "No. You're already too well known. We need someone to go in there who isn't know and…" He trailed off and Amelia arched a brow as Isabel folded her arms over her chest. Shaking her head, Isabel shrugged and looked to Eric before snarling at him.

"Do you intend to share your plan?"

"I know someone," Eric said. "She is a telepath."

"A what?" Amelia asked.

"Are you so dense that you don't know what a telepath is?"

"I know what one is, but I didn't think they existed," Amelia snapped back. "Then again, vampires exist so I shouldn't be surprised."

"I will be back tomorrow evening with her," Eric said. "She owes me a favour and this can be it. Until then, no one is to make a move against the Fellowship. Try to get hold of Stan if you can, but he is not to do anything."

"So we simply have to sit and wait for you to come back?" Isabel checked.

"Unless you have another great plan, then yes," Eric snapped. "We would have been able to stop this madness if it wasn't for Godric's little pet doing this to him."

Amelia's eyes widened as she placed a hand to her chest. "I'm sorry," she spoke. "Are you blaming me for this?"

"Who else is there to blame?" Eric shrugged erratically. "He has been dragged into all of your messes. He has stood by your side constantly. He has always done and look how it has turned out. He has gone to the Fellowship to try and protect you…an insignificant little fangbanging slut."

"Eric!" Isabel lauded him as Amelia moved forwards, daring to slap Eric across the face. While her movements did nothing to hurt the vampire, she knew she had angered him further, but he had not seen her angry either.

"How dare you?" Amelia snapped at him. "Where the fuck were you when he was first thinking about meeting the sun? You did nothing. You didn't even know he was thinking about doing it. Do not stand there and insult me when I was the one who tried to save Godric. Everything I have ever done has been for him…to keep him safe…and yes, I've dragged him into my shit and I regret that. I hate myself for putting him in danger, but he…he has his own mind. Godric is his own person and he chose to stay with me."

"Because he is infatuated with you," Eric said. "Because you wouldn't leave him."

Amelia snorted. "Infatuated?" she repeated the word back to him. "Do you not get it? I love him and he loves me. He has left because he thinks it is the right thing to do, but he doesn't understand that it isn't. He…it is killing to me to know that he has left because of me, because he thinks that he can keep me safe this way. But if you think I am going to stand here and listen to you blame me and insult me then you have another thing coming."

Eric said nothing in response to her. Instead he looked as she stood in front of him, refusing to back down on the matter. She remained strong, her glare intense as she dropped her hands to her hips.

"If anything happens to him," Eric threatened her, bending down until his face was inches from hers, "then nothing will protect you from my wrath."

"Except for me," Isabel said, moving to stand behind Amelia as Eric lifted his gaze onto her. "Godric loves her and that means she has his protection. You are to do nothing to hurt her."

"We'll see," Eric said and turned on his heel, sweeping from the house as Amelia watched him go. She finally let out a shaky breath she had been holding in as soon as she heard the door slam behind Eric. Turning to look up to Isabel, she felt the vampire place a hand onto her shoulder.

"He is angry," Isabel said. "He said things he did not believe."

"Let him," Amelia said. "He isn't my concern. Finding Godric is my concern."

"We will bring him home," Isabel said, trying to remain positive. "He will come home, Amelia."

"I hope so," Amelia said, picking the letter up again and knowing that she had to do something as she read the words again and tried to pick out any hidden clues in his words, longing for him not to go through with whatever he had planned.

….

Sitting across from Steve Newlin, Godric wondered exactly what was going on, but he knew that, for some reason, Steve was intrigued about the decision that he had made. The Fellowship had some questionable characters from what Godric had seen, but the majority of them had been pleasant. They had been normal. Godric didn't understand why they couldn't co-exist.

He had been locked away in the basement, the only place without sunlight. His little cell had a cot and a table with chairs, but that was it. They knew that Godric could break out if he wanted to. The silver gates kept him at bay, but the men who opened the gates to bring his Tru Blood didn't have the power to keep him out. They didn't have the ability or the strength. Godric could overpower and kill everyone in the Church, but he didn't want to. He just wanted it to end.

"Here," Steve said once he had taken a seat across from Godric. He dropped the newspaper onto the table and Godric looked to the headline and photo. It was Daniel sat on a sofa looking contemplative. The headline simply read 'Amelia, I'm sorry.' Godric nodded his head, not bothering to read into the story as Steve spoke to him and told him what it read.

"He's apologised to Amelia for everything," Steve said. "He said that he understands their relationship was strained, but he was simply worried about her when he realised she had run off with you. He's asked for her to be left alone…to live her life in peace…just like you wanted him to do."

"Good," Godric spoke with a nod.

"I still don't understand it," Steve said, drumming his fingers on the table. "What is it about her that makes you willing to end your existence?"

"I was planning to do this a long time ago," Godric confessed to Steve, uncertain of whether or not he should share things with the man before him. "I had planned to end everything many months ago, but I did not know how to do it. I met with Amelia to ask her about her links with the Fellowship."

"But why not just meet the sun if you are so desperate to die?"

"Because…being here…perhaps I can make things right after decades of sin. Perhaps I can show that we can co-exist? That my death does not need to bring about more deaths."

"You should know that is not the case," Steve said. "Everyone here is here for a reason. They are here because they know that vampires and humans cannot co-exist and shouldn't have to."

"Perhaps," Godric said. "But perhaps they might change their minds as time goes on."

"And you are willing to risk yourself based on that theory?"

"I have had two thousand years on this planet," Godric said. "I have seen sights you can only imagine. I have met people you only know from history books. I have had long enough on this planet. I have had enough time…ample amount of time…and if I stay here then I know I will just remain selfish. It is a predominant part of a vampire. We are inherently selfish creatures, but I do not want to be that creature anymore."

"When you say you would be selfish…" Steve trailed off, waiting for him to explain.

"I would want to change her," Godric said. "I could not let her grow old or have a normal life…a human life…instead I would want to change her and make her mine for eternity. That is not fair for her. I cannot get her to give everything up for me, not when she has such a promising future."

"And her?" Steve wondered back. "What do you think she would want?"

Godric shrugged. "I cannot guess," he responded. "Amelia is very much her own person, but I do not doubt her love for me. She would want to be changed, but I only fear she may live to regret it as so many of us do."

Steve chuckled at that, shaking his head as he moved to his feet. "You're the strangest vampire I have ever met," he said with a chuckle. "I'll let you keep the newspaper. Turn to page five…there's a picture of her there."

Godric waited until Steve had left the cell before he turned to the page, looking down to see Amelia peering back up at him from the page. Her eyes were glimmering as she laughed in the photo and looked up to the vampire she was holding hands with. It was the photo of her with Will. She looked happy. She looked how Godric wanted her to. Moving a finger to trace her face, Godric noted the look on Will's face. He looked content. He looked how Godric felt when he was with Amelia.

Closing his eyes and bowing his head, Godric continued to repeat that he was making the right decision in his mind. The only issue was he continuously felt a niggling feeling in his stomach when he thought of his actions.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	29. Chapter 29

Stan had reacted exactly how Amelia had suspected he would react. He blamed her for what had happened to Godric and had flown off the handle, but he was convinced that Godric had been taken by the Fellowship. He did not think that Godric would have gone willingly. That was where his opinion differed to Isabel's opinion. Even Amelia thought that he was being obtuse. He was using Godric's disappearance as a way to bring down the Fellowship.

Amelia knew all about Stan and, truthfully, she despised everything that he stood for. She despised the way he spoke to her and the way he looked at her. She knew about his past with Steve Newlin and she wondered why Godric kept him around. He was so different to Godric.

Eric had called the following evening to say that he would return to Dallas the next night. His friend, Sookie, was on her way to Dallas with her own vampire lover. Amelia had rolled her eyes, wondering just how many people were going to get involved. Isabel had even brought Hugo around the next night before going to speak with Stan, telling her human lover to stay in the house until she returned, leaving him with Amelia.

"Does it get easier?" he had asked her as she flipped through the newspapers and magazines she had bought after seeing Daniel's face plastered all over them, apologising for the way he had treated Amelia.

Looking over to him as she considered calling her ex-fiancée, she frowned. "Does what get easier?"

"Being in a relationship with a vampire?" he enquired and Amelia shrugged her shoulders. "How long have you been with Godric?"

"Not long," Amelia mumbled, looking to her cell on the worktop. She knew that Daniel was somehow involved in this. Godric goes missing and he shockingly apologises for how he has treated her? The timeline didn't measure up. None of it measured up. Slipping her cell into her pocket, she had no intention of waiting for Eric to come back before taking action, especially as she had a whole other day without him.

"Isabel said that he loves you," Hugo continued to push for conversation and Amelia sighed, wanting to go and call Daniel, not talk to Isabel's human. "She said that he has changed because of you."

Amelia bit down on her lip, entertaining Hugo for a moment. "I don't know about that," she said. "I only know the Godric I met. I know he has a past, but we all have a past."

"Makes me wonder what Isabel was like before me," Hugo admitted to Amelia. "That's the thing with dating a vampire, isn't it? They're older than us. They have infinitely more experience than we have…been with other people…and it makes me wonder why they pick us. What makes us so special after hundreds and thousands of years?"

Amelia confessed she had not thought of it like that. Her interest was piqued as she pocketed her cell into her jean back pocket. Folding her arms over her chest, she leaned back against the worktop as Hugo moved to slip onto the barstool, sitting at the edge of it.

"I don't know," Amelia responded. "I really don't know."

Hugo nodded. "Same," he responded. "When it comes to Isabel, I love her so much. I love her more than anything, but I don't really know what I am to her. I don't know if she sees me as her everything because she is so unwilling to change me. Maybe she thinks that there will be others like me in the future? Others who might be better?"

Amelia shook her head. "It's not that," she responded, the certainty in her tone clear. "They are reluctant to change us because they know what it would mean."

"Living with them forever?"

"Living in the dark," Amelia responded. "Living a life in the night…a life lusting for blood…a life of always being on the outside…not having a family. They love us, yes, but they love us too much to take away the very thing that made them fall in love with us…our humanity."

Hugo went quiet then, a solemn look on his face as Amelia closed her own eyes, thinking about her beloved Godric. She thought about him constantly, wanting him back with her. She needed him back with her. She didn't understand what her life would be like without him now. And yes, she understood why he had done what he had done, but he underestimated her. He had underestimated her love for him, but also he had underestimated her drive and desire.

"You really believe that?" Hugo wondered from her.

"I have to," was all she responded with.

She swept from the kitchen then, sniffing as she wiped her eyes, tears threatening to spill from them as she imagined Godric, wherever he was, thinking that this was the best option. Moving up the staircase to the bedroom she had claimed as her own, she closed the door behind her and pulled herself together, knowing that she couldn't cry now. She wondered if he could sense her emotions. She wondered if he knew how she was feeling. If he did then she hoped it was enough to make him come back.

Shaking her head, she pulled her cell out and searched for the number for her home, knowing that Daniel was holing himself up there after her father had given it to him. She knew that he wouldn't answer the phone. He would have staff. She was right. Trudy, the former maid, answered the phone and Amelia asked her to put him on the line.

"Miss Amelia," Trudy spoke after she had made her request. "I'm sorry…about everything."

"You weren't to know, Trudy."

"The staff know more than you think," Trudy simply responded. "And we all feel guilty over what happened. We all know the truth, Miss Amelia. You were a good girl…your father…Daniel…we know they were wrong about you. You were always a sweet girl."

Amelia almost wanted to snap at Trudy. She knew, yet she had said nothing at the time. But Amelia didn't blame her. She didn't blame anyone but herself, not really. Moving to perch on the edge of her bed, Amelia folded one leg over the other.

"Thanks, Trudy," Amelia said.

There was no response as Amelia heard her call being transferred. The phone rang again and Amelia pictured Daniel sitting behind her father's desk, running his own political campaign in her old house. But she had never seen her house as being a home. There was nothing about it that she saw as homely.

"Well, well, well, this is a surprise," Daniel spoke when he picked the phone up and Amelia rolled her eyes.

"I doubt it is as surprising as the shock I had this morning," Amelia responded, "when I received a call from a local news station asking if I wanted to respond to your apology. You know, it's amazing you apologised to me in the press, but didn't call me to say it yourself."

"What can I say? You weren't answering my calls," he said, sounding smarmy and clearly lying as Amelia clenched her fingers into a fist around her cell. "What do you want, Amelia? I am very busy."

"What have you done to him?" Amelia asked.

"Who?" Daniel wondered back.

"You know who," Amelia snapped "Godric. What have you done to him?"

"Why do you suspect I have done anything to him?" Daniel enquired from her and she almost wished he was there so she could wipe the smirk from his face. "Amelia, I saw the error of my ways. Godric has nothing to do with this. Besides, apologising to you has put me further ahead in the polls. It was a political decision, nothing to do with your vampire."

"Why do I not believe that?" she demanded from him.

"Believe whatever you want," Daniel said to her. "It is the truth and that is all that matters."

"No," Amelia said, refusing to believe him. "I know you. I know that you lie."

Daniel sighed. "Honestly, Amelia, I am not sorry. Really, I don't care about you. What I care about is my career and publicly apologising has helped me in it. Now, do me a favour, Amelia, accept the fact that I apologise and move on. If something has happened to Godric then maybe he has seen what I saw."

"And what is that?"

Daniel chuckled. "Sense," he responded. "Maybe he saw sense and left you?"

Amelia almost felt a stab to her chest, but she knew what Daniel was doing. He was trying to get a rise out of her. He was trying to make her feel bad. But it wasn't going to work. There was no chance that she would let it. Shaking her head, she held the cell away from her ear and hung up, not wanting to dignify a response to Daniel. Instead she tossed her cell to the side and stood up, tugging her jumper down and folding her arms over her chest, unaware that Hugo had been listening into her conversation.

….

Isabel sighed as she looked to Amelia, watching as she tried to stay awake, despite exhaustion clearly taking hold of her. Eric was on route and Sookie and Bill were due at the house in the next hour or so after touching down in Dallas. Isabel had come from her rest, kissing Hugo slowly once she had moved into the kitchen and asked him how he was. He had told her that everything was fine, but Amelia was still wide-awake after two whole days. She had sighed, her hand going to his arm gratefully as she thanked him for keeping an eye on her.

He had told her that he had to go and she had told him to borrow her car, saying that she would see him the following night after dealing with Eric. It was only then when she looked to Amelia, seeing her on her cell as she paced in Godric's office, the door wide open. Her laptop was open on her desk and her voice was low and determined as she asked a woman to do her a favour. Isabel arched a brow as she hung up and saw her rush to sit at Godric's desk, perching in his large black leather chair as she clicked on her laptop.

"I wasn't eavesdropping, but I did hear the end of that conversation," Isabel said, arms folded over her chest as she sauntered into the office. "What are you doing, Amelia?"

"There is a maid who works at the house. Her name is Trudy and she now works for Daniel," Amelia explained, her eyes remaining on her laptop. "I asked her if she had seen Godric meet with Daniel, but she didn't see anything so I asked her to send over the CCTV footage. There were always cameras surrounding the house…unless you knew how to sneak out of their focus."

Isabel looked slightly impressed as she moved to stand behind Amelia's shoulder, her heels clacking on the floor as she made the motion. "And did she say she would send it over?"

"After begging her, yeah," Amelia confirmed. "Isabel…what if he…what if he did go there?"

"Then we will retrace his footsteps," Isabel said and Amelia bit down on her lip and shook her head, eyes widening as she peered up to her.

"I meant…what if we can't persuade him to come back?" she wondered from her. "I know why he might have gone. In his mind it makes complete sense, but what if he can't be reasoned with? What if he won't listen?"

Isabel shook her head firmly. "We cannot think like that," she said. "Once we have him then he will see that his actions were wrong. We will make him understand."

Amelia almost snorted. "Has anyone ever made Godric do anything before?"

"Godric has never fallen in love like this before," Isabel said. "There is a first time for everything and you appear to be the one who has broken many of his rules."

Amelia didn't know what to say in response to that. Instead she remained silent as her laptop made a pinging noise to notify her of email. She clicked on the trackpad, opening up the attachment and looking at the footage of that night he had gone missing. She put it on fast forward, her eyes remaining set on it before she saw a familiar figure. Pressing play again, she paused it in time to see Godric entering the house of his own free will.

"The lying bastard," Amelia hissed to the screen. "I knew Daniel would have something to do with this."

Isabel crouched down slightly, her eyes set on the screen. "Fast forward to when he comes out."

Amelia pressed play and fast-forward again, waiting until she saw the familiar face of Godric leaving the house. But he wasn't alone. Steve Newlin was walking by his side, the two of them talking and Amelia looked up to Isabel, pushing herself to her feet.

"We need to go to the Fellowship of the Sun," she said.

"We can't," Isabel responded. "We can't go barging in there."

"We have proof!" Amelia pointed to the screen. "We know that he is there. He went with Steve Newlin. We know what he is doing."

"And if we go in there then we give them what they want," Isabel said. "We cannot do that, Amelia. Stan thinks like that. He thinks about war. We think differently. We need to think differently. We need to think as Godric would want us to think. If we rush in there with Stan then can you imagine what would happen? The Federal Government would be over us like a rash."

Amelia let out a huff, knowing that she was right. It pained her to admit it, but Isabel was right. Moving to run a hand down her arm, Isabel leaned forwards and looked Amelia in the eye. "We will bring him back, Amelia, I promise you."

Sighing, Amelia nodded before she heard the doorbell ring. Moving from Godric's office, she pulled the wood open to see Eric stood there, dressed in jeans and a black vest, a leather jacket tossed over it as he saw Amelia.

"Any news?" he enquired.

"Hello to you too," Amelia said sarcastically. "No news as of yet, but he went to see my ex the other day and left with Steve Newlin. I'm pretty certain he is at the Fellowship of the Sun."

"And how do you know this?"

"My former maid sent me CCTV from the house and it showed Godric," Amelia said as Eric nodded and she spotted two other figures moving down the path towards the house. Eric watched as they approached and Amelia kept her gaze on them as Isabel made her appearance in the hallway.

"Sookie and Bill, this is Amelia and Isabel," Eric said, his voice gruff as he clearly struggled to care about introductions. "Sookie and Bill have agreed to help us, but they were attacked on the way here."

"Attacked?" Amelia echoed.

"Someone from the Fellowship of the Sun attacked us," Sookie said and Amelia looked to the petite blonde, her accent sickly sweet as she pulled at the sundress she wore. Her hair was neatly pulled up into a ponytail, her face clear of any make-up to show her perfect complexion. "We didn't find out how he knew we were flying into Dallas."

"There must be a mole," the man, Bill, spoke. He too had a drawl, but he was very different to Sookie. He looked darker, while Sookie exuberated light. He wore a dark blue shirt and pants, his hair mussed up and his face pale and slightly gaunt.

"Anyway," Sookie said with a shrug, "it is nice to meet you both."

"You too," Amelia said, thinking how polite Sookie seemed. "But how could there be a mole?"

"Well who else knew they were coming here?" Eric demanded and they seemed to move into the living area as Stan made his presence known, moving from the hall as he looked to Eric.

"No one," Stan responded. "We told no one. He must have gotten the inside track on us…found out on your end."

"We told no one we were coming," Eric said, not entirely caring for Stan. He saw him as an imbecile.

Amelia looked to Sookie, wondering if the woman could read her thoughts right then and there. She suspected that she could. She didn't know what to think, but all she knew was that Isabel, Stan and Eric were bickering like schoolchildren and she didn't want to listen to it. Stan was yelling at Eric about storming the Fellowship. Isabel was yelling at Stan about keeping a distance. Eric, for his part, looked just as fed up about the entire thing too.

But Amelia was the one who exploded. "Shut up!" She snapped, looking between the three of them. "Arguing is not going to bring Godric back, is it? We need a sensible plan that doesn't involve murdering anymore humans just because you want a revolution, Stan!"

"You're lucky that Godric has claimed you," Stan said, moving one step forwards. "Because a mouthy bitch like you deserves what is coming to her."

Eric was there in an instant, beating Isabel to stand in between Amelia and Stan. He towered over him, his fangs bared as he looked down to him, his eyes narrowed and a sneer escaping him.

"You lay a finger on her and you'll have me to answer to," Eric said and Amelia almost felt shock course through her as Stan chuckled, shaking his head.

"When did you become so soft?" he demanded.

"She is Godric's," Eric snapped. "Therefore, she is off limits and if I have to kill you to protect her then so be it, do you understand me? I would do anything for Godric…unlike you."

Stan held his hands up in defeat and backed off as Eric retracted his fangs.

"Then there is nothing else to it," Sookie shrugged, a nonchalant tone as she moved to her feet. "I need to infiltrate the Fellowship of the Sun. I can read their minds and find out where Godric is being kept."

"Sookie, that is too dangerous," Bill responded, a hand going to her elbow as Amelia saw the possessive side to his touch. "If you go in there then it will be during the day when no-one can protect you."

"During the day is the only time they will see us, I suspect," Sookie said.

"But how do we sneak you in?" Isabel wondered.

"This is a disgrace," Stan rolled his eyes. "You're all wasting time with this stupid plan."

"If you make a move now Stan then you know what will happen," Isabel warned him as he left the room, clearly having had enough of their talk as he left the house, slamming the door behind him.

"I can go with her," Amelia said, ignoring Stan's sudden departure.

"Absolutely not," Eric said. "They will know who you are. It has to be someone they won't recognise and they have to be there for a plausible reason."

"Hugo," Isabel spoke his name. "No one would know Hugo. If they went and pretended to be a couple then it could work. They might be able to find out more about the Church and pretend that they would be interested to join and marry there?"

"I don't like this," Bill said.

"You don't need to like it," Sookie responded. "We just need to do it and find Godric. Then we can go home."

"Seems sensible," Eric grunted. "And where is Hugo?"

"He went home," Isabel said. "I can go and speak with him tonight and tomorrow night he can meet Sookie. We can go to the Fellowship the day after and we can go for a stakeout tomorrow evening."

Amelia found herself growing increasingly frustrated, longing to make a move sooner rather than later. She almost felt like Stan, minus longing for the bloodshed.

"Fine," Eric nodded. "Tomorrow we put everything into action and plan to bring Godric back."

"Do you have somewhere to stay this evening?" Isabel asked politely.

"We've got a room at the Hotel Carmilla," Sookie said. "But thank you so much for asking. We should go there now before it gets too late."

"Feel free to borrow a car," Isabel said, making polite conversation as Eric turned his gaze to Amelia, sensing that there was something off with her. He watched as she skulked out the room after bidding goodnight to Sookie and Bill. Grunting under his breath, Eric followed the human, his footsteps light as she moved up the steps and into her bedroom.

He moved quickly then, stepping into her bedroom before she could shut the door. He reacted with haste, startling her as he pushed her up against the wall, closing the door and trapping her there with both of his hands either side of her head as he bent down to speak to her.

"What are you planning, hmm?" he asked and she folded her arms over her chest.

"What the hell are you going on about?" she demanded, jutting her chin out as she glared at him.

"Downstairs," he snapped at her. "You went all quiet and sulky. You looked as though our plan wasn't good enough. So what plan is good enough?"

"You're paranoid," she responded back with a roll of her eyes. "I am not planning anything. I don't even know what to plan. I am more just worried that you are waiting too long before going after Godric. One night has turned into two and I don't want it to turn into many more. We need to get him."

"Do you think I don't know that?" Eric demanded from her. "Listen to me, Godric is safe for now. I would feel if something was wrong. What I need you to do is keep your pretty head," he moved to nudge a finger against her chin, "in order."

"My pretty head is fine, thank you very much," Amelia said to him.

"Really?" he wondered. "Because you look like shit. Have you even slept?"

Amelia scoffed. "Do you think that I have even tried? I can't sleep…not knowing that he is out there."

"Well, you need to," Eric said. "I doubt Godric would want you collapsing because of him."

"Since when did you become so concerned about my welfare?" she wondered from him. "And don't pretend I didn't notice you defend me down there to Stan."

Eric shook his head. "I wasn't defending you, I was thinking of Godric. Everything I do is for Godric. I wouldn't expect you to understand that, but it is true. Now, I need you to do me a favour and stay here and not do anything reckless…and get some sleep too."

"Fine," Amelia lamented. "If you just back off then I will stay here."

"Hmm," Eric mused. "My only issue is that I can't keep an eye on you during the day…so this is my only option."

"What else can you-"

"-Go to sleep until I come back and wake you up," Eric commanded once he had gained her eye contact, his hands holding her cheeks as she fell asleep before she even knew what he was doing.

He caught her before she fell to the floor, rolling his eyes as he tossed her into his arms and then laid her on her bed, looking down to her and wondering just what was going on in Godric's mind that made him so attached to a human like Amelia. He wondered if he would ever know or understand.

….

Godric suspected by now that Eric would be in Dallas. He could sense his child's fear and anxiety, but that did not make him rush back to him. He knew that Eric would come for him, despite the fact that he would be a fool for doing so. He also knew that Amelia would have been the one to call Eric and tell him what had happened. He suspected she might know where he had gone, but he wasn't entirely certain.

He had mentioned going to the Fellowship when they had first met, but he supposed she might think that he would go somewhere else after all of this time. He didn't know. All he knew was that he went through a range of emotions when thinking of her. He only hoped that she could understand why he had done what he had done.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	30. Chapter 30

Isabel huffed loudly as soon as Eric returned the following night, still his usual brooding self. Hugo had arrived before Eric, waiting for Isabel to awaken for the night and take him to meet Sookie and discuss the plan they had put into place. That evening Isabel and Eric intended to go and scout out the Fellowship of the Sun and see the best entrances and ways to get into the massive complex. Isabel had seen Amelia resting on her bed the night before, still dressed in her clothes. She had thought that she had collapsed from sheer exhaustion, but then when she had tried to wake her the next night she realised she had been glamoured.

"I assume you placed the glamour on her?" Isabel spoke, arms folded over her chest as Eric eyed the leather jacket and dark jeans she wore. Her hair was slicked back into a ponytail and she looked exactly like someone who didn't want to be seen.

"I didn't trust her not to do something stupid during the day," Eric defended himself with a shrug.

"You could have told me," Isabel said. "I thought that there was something wrong for a minute before I realised."

Eric smirked. "Have you grow compassionate towards the little human?"

"She is a nice girl, Eric," Isabel said. "And Godric thinks the world of her. Perhaps if you were not so busy skulking on your throne in Fangtasia then you might also find people to care about."

Eric let out a grunt of annoyance before sweeping up the steps and towards Amelia's room. He looked around for a few moments before peering down over her, noticing a necklace with a ring under her shirt. He moved a finger to tug her shirt from her skin so that he could see the ring better. There was another necklace on her bedside table that Eric had recognised instantly. It was Godric's hammer. He had given it to the human. Eric had gulped for a moment at that, realising just how much Amelia must mean to Godric.

Eric, of course, knew that his maker was besotted with her. He knew that he loved her and cared deeply for her, but he didn't truly know just how deep his love went. He didn't know and, truth be told, he had been worried to ask. He knew that Godric loved him and Nora more than anything. He had made them. He had chosen them. But there had never been anything but familial love. In all of his years, Eric had never known Godric to have a romantic interest. It made him feel slightly strange to know that his maker loved someone else. He wondered if he loved her deeper than he did his children? Eric didn't want a competition to find out who Godric loved most. He just wondered if he would ever feel something similar. He wondered how it might feel.

He stopped his pondering and realised that he had to get the girl out of her slumber. He moved to knock her shoulder before bending down, his forehead hovering over hers as he spoke, a hand going to her cheek.

"Wake up, sleeping beauty," he cooed. "I command you to wake up."

Eric had almost expected her eyelids to flutter open like they did whenever he ordered his latest conquest to wake up. Instead, her eyes flew open and she moved quickly, her forehead smacking against Eric's as she went to sit up. She groaned in pain while Eric felt nothing. He chuckled as she grabbed her forehead and collapsed back on the bed.

"You asshole," she seethed.

"You should have been more careful," Eric reprimanded her, hands going into his jeans pockets.

"You were an asshole for even glamouring me in the first place," she complained to him, swinging her legs over the bed and sitting up, still rubbing her forehead.

"At least you look better than you did," Eric shrugged. "Come on, we need to move. We don't have much time."

"Where are we going?" Amelia wondered from him.

"I am taking you to the Hotel Carmilla where Sookie and Bill can keep an eye on you. Hugo is coming to."

"Why can't I come and scout out the place with you?"

Eric shot her a deadpan look, almost asking if she was being serious as she rolled her eyes and moved to her feet. Shrugging her shoulders, she gave in, knowing that there was no use arguing with Eric. No doubt he would only just glamour her again to do what he wanted her to do.

"Fine," Amelia conceded, despite the fact they hadn't really argued. "Just let me brush my teeth and tie my hair up considering I don't have time to shower. Thanks again for that, Eric."

"Well, you look better than you did before," Eric responded to her and she scoffed.

He watched her move into the hallway and then into the bathroom before he picked up his maker's necklace and glanced down to the photograph of her with her former boyfriend. She looked happy. So did he. Eric could only wonder how she had managed to besot two vampires. Then again, he wondered if it was a certain charm some woman had. He only wondered if Sookie Stackhouse also had it.

…

Amelia didn't like sitting around and waiting. She felt useless. She felt pointless. The next day would see Sookie and Hugo pretend to be an engaged couple and infiltrate the Fellowship of the Sun. Hugo was currently catching up on work on his laptop, perched at the desk in the corner and seeming not to want to engage in conversation. Amelia had no idea what he did for a living, but he claimed that he worked long hours for almost no financial reward. While he remained silent, Amelia remained pacing up and down.

Bill had excused himself after a red-headed vampire had come in to the room, complaining that she was hungry. There had been no introductions by either of them. Instead Bill had politely said he would return and steered the young girl by the arm out of the doorway and away from the suit.

"That was Jessica," Sookie said, looking to Amelia as she stopped her pacing. "She is Bill's progeny."

"I see," Amelia said.

"He didn't want to turn her," Sookie continued and Amelia could tell that she was a talker. She liked conversations. "He had no choice because he had killed a vampire to protect me. The punishment was to create a new one. Jessica is proving to be a bit of a handful and Bill had to bring her with us."

"But she isn't part of the plan?" Amelia checked and moved to perch in an armchair as Sookie sat on the edge of the sofa.

"No," Sookie said. "She is just here so that Bill can keep an eye on her. I think the fewer people who know about the plan the better considering there might be a mole."

Amelia shook her head. "I doubt there was a mole," she responded. "I think it was more the Fellowship of the Sun keeping tabs on Eric or something like that. I just can't see anyone here betraying us to the Fellowship of the Sun and, if they did, then I am shocked Eric hasn't found them."

Sookie did snort then. "He is a bit intense, isn't he?" she said in her charming drawl. "Do you have much to do with him?"

"Not really," Amelia said. "Godric is Eric's maker, but the two of them aren't in each other's pockets. Godric is very different to Eric. He's much more charming."

"No offence," Sookie said with a wave of her hand, "but it wouldn't take much to be more charming than Eric. He's very brash and full of himself, but I think it is an act. I think underneath all of it there is another side of Eric."

"Well, I have yet to see it," Amelia responded with a shrug of her shoulders. "I don't know. Eric is just an anomaly, but he loves Godric. I suppose we have that in common."

"I can tell," Sookie nodded and Amelia arched a brow as Sookie managed a wavering smile. "Sorry, I don't mean to read minds, but sometimes I can't help myself. Your thoughts are always on Godric. You love him dearly. It is sweet."

"I do," Amelia agreed. "But loving a vampire is never easy, is it? There is always some complication. I suspect you have found that with Bill."

Sookie moved down the sofa then so that she was sat closer to Amelia. Leaning forwards, she folded her arms over her lap, her sundress creasing as she made the movements. Amelia arched a brow, wondering where this was going, but she suspected Sookie just wanted conversation.

"I love Bill," Sookie said. "I love him so much, but you are right. There are difficulties with being with a vampire, mainly that there always seems to be danger, especially with me…my mind reading abilities get me into trouble more than I care to admit."

Amelia chuckled at that. "I can imagine," she said.

"But Bill has been supportive through everything. He is lovely. He is great. I just worry that we won't get any peace…any quiet and, sometimes, that is just what I want."

Smiling sadly, Amelia nodded. "I can agree with that," she spoke. Letting out a sigh as she clasped her hands onto her thighs, she leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes. "Have you spoken to him about changing you?"

Hugo's ears seemed to prick up from the corner as Amelia opened her eyes again and looked to Sookie, genuinely intrigued as to what the woman was going to tell her. She remained silent, her lips pursed as Sookie tightened the bobble holding her ponytail on top of her head.

"He gets twitchy every time I mention it."

"They all do," Amelia said.

"Did you talk to Godric about it?"

Amelia shrugged. "Maybe a couple of times," she responded. "He was reluctant to talk about it, but he always is. I don't know, maybe it will happen one day, or maybe it won't. I just know that I don't want to look like his grandmother one day."

Sookie chuckled. "I get that," she said.

There was silence for a few moments before Sookie spoke again, her voice hushed so that Hugo couldn't hear her. Amelia turned her wide eyed stare over to Sookie, looking at her with wonder as the young woman seemed to remained intense.

"I can feel your worry," Sookie said. "Well, I can hear it. I know that you're petrified, but trying to stay strong. I get that. Honestly, I do get that, but we'll do our best to bring him back, Amelia. I know we only just met, but I promise that I will do my best."

Amelia felt her eyes water then at Sookie's kindness. She wasn't exactly used to people being nice. Amelia had no idea what was wrong with her. All she wanted to do was sit there and cry. She had been nothing but strong since she had discovered that Godric had gone missing. She had been angry with him. She had been so annoyed. But she was upset. She was hurt that he had left her. Everything that she had felt came flooding to the surface.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Sookie said as she saw Amelia begin to cry. Moving to her feet, Sookie reached for the box of tissues on the coffee table, sitting on the arm of the chair and holding the box down to Amelia. "I didn't mean to make you cry."

"It's fine," Amelia promised Sookie. "I mean, I am completely fine…just hormonal…over-reacting…"

"Well, to be quite honest," Sookie said as Amelia took a tissue and dabbed at the corner of her eye, "you're holding up much better than I would in your situation."

Amelia scoffed at that and allowed her lips to quirk upwards. "You shouldn't doubt yourself," she said. "From what I can tell you're pretty strong too."

Before Sookie could respond, the door opened and Amelia and Sookie looked over to the door. Eric and Isabel walked in, Stan loitering behind them. Eric turned to the two women on the chair as Amelia stuffed her tissue into her jean pocket.

"What is wrong?" Eric was the one to ask.

"Nothing," Amelia shook her head. "I'm fine. What did you find out?"

Eric didn't look convinced, but he dropped the matter as Stan scoffed, hands going into his pocket. "It's easy," Stan said. "There are hardly any of them there. We could wipe them out in seconds."

"But we are not going to," Isabel said, throwing him a stern look. "We are going to do this the right way. So tomorrow morning, we put the plan into place. We do it the way in which Godric would approve. It doesn't involve slaughtering humans."

They spent the next twenty minutes discussing what they were going to do before Bill returned and Sookie and him went off to talk. Stan went off to be with his friends and Isabel spoke with Hugo. Eric informed Amelia that he would drive her home, informing her that she would have little to do with the plan the following day due to her association with the Fellowship of the Sun.

Wandering to the car park, Amelia sniffed and Eric looked down to her, hunched over with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Sure you're alright?" he wondered from her. "You know we saw you crying."

"I know," Amelia responded. "I'm fine. I just got emotional for some reason, but I am fine now."

"Hmm," Eric hummed.

Amelia's lips arched. "I never knew you cared, Eric."

"I care because you are Godric's, that's it," Eric said. "And for some reason you make him happier than I have seen him in a lot of years. He's besotted with you and I don't know why. I don't pretend to understand it, but you make him happy and because of that I need to keep you safe."

Amelia chuckled. "I think you're slowly growing to like me," she said.

Eric rolled his eyes. "Did you not just hear what I said? I am doing this for Godric."

"Yeah, but I think you don't think I'm too bad," Amelia said. "Besides, I don't think you're as broody or miserable as you make yourself out to be."

"Then you really have misjudged me," Eric told her.

"Whatever you say," Amelia shrugged, having no intention of arguing with Eric. She doubted it would end well anyway.

….

Amelia had one advantage over Eric. She could go out during the day. He was resting and hadn't bothered to glamour Amelia to sleep. Besides, she was on Sookie watch. Eric had told her she was not to be a part of the plan, but she was to keep in contact with Sookie and Hugo. The two of them were supposed to send her regular texts to let her know that they were safe and well.

In the first hour there was a text and Amelia felt relief. She had been pacing around the kitchen, cell in her fingertips as she waited for the call. A part of her wished that she could have been the one to infiltrate the Fellowship and bring Godric back, but she knew that was impossible. Steve and Sarah Newlin would notice her as soon as possible.

But then another hour passed and Amelia had heard nothing from Sookie. She continued pacing in the kitchen, wondering what she should do. She couldn't get Eric to come and do anything. Isabel was sleeping too. Shaking her head, she dared to call Sookie, but the call went straight to answerphone. There was nothing.

"Something is wrong," Amelia whispered. "Something is very wrong."

Grabbing her leather jacket, she tugged it over the black dress she wore and slipped on her boots over her tights. Moving out of the door, she took Godric's less sporty car and reversed it out of the drive. She didn't know what she was going to do. She had no idea what she was going to do at all. She found herself driving towards the Fellowship of the Sun's base, her foot pressing down on the gas as she parked around the corner from it.

She wondered if Sookie could hear her thoughts from this distance. Mainly, she wondered where she was going. Could Godric sense her? As she parked the car, she climbed out, placing the keys into her leather jacket pocket and moving down the sidewalk and towards the drive to the car park. She stopped short and shook her head, rushing back down the sidewalk.

"What the hell are you going to do, Amelia?" she snapped at herself. "Are you going to walk in and demand to see Sookie?"

She looked around and knew that there had to be some kind of secret entrance. She had done this before. She had snuck into and out of buildings. Walking around the perimeter of the base, she came to a hill, ducking down to see men and woman wandering on the lawn. She bit down on her lip and wondered if she could somehow sneak into the base. But there was no reason for her to worry.

"Always looking for trouble, aren't you, Amelia?"

Standing tall, Amelia turned her head over her shoulder, groaning loudly as she folded her arms over her chest.

"Still going to tell me that you had nothing to do with this?" she wondered from him and Daniel chuckled, his hands going into his suit pockets. "Where is he?"

"I am here to see Steve Newlin," Daniel said. "I am here for no other reason."

"I don't believe you."

"Believe what you want, but I am here for his endorsement. No doubt he will be happy to see you though, Amelia. He always did speak very kindly of you."

"I doubt it."

"You doubt everything," he responded and then held his arm out, indicating for her to start walking. "Come on. If you're going to break into somewhere then make sure you see who notices you."

"I'll remember that for the future," Amelia responded sarcastically through gritted teeth as she walked in front of Daniel.

She continued walking ahead with Daniel by her side, keeping his eye on her. She noted his security detail by the car park and rolled her eyes, wondering why he needed six bodyguards. It seemed slightly obsessive. Moving forwards towards the entrance of the complex, Amelia looked around before she noticed Steve and Sarah Newlin at the door, their eyes meeting Amelia as Steve's smile seemed to widen.

"Miss Jones!" he exclaimed as soon as he saw her. "Well, well, well, this is a surprise! Are you here for your vampire?"

"So he is here?" Amelia asked and Daniel exchanged a look with Steve, shaking his head once to indicate that he should leave him out of it. "Where is he?"

"He is downstairs," Steve said. "Don't worry. He is alive and well. No doubt he will be excited to see you here. You know he's been pining over you?"

"Now, now, Steve," Sarah said, patting her husband's arm. "I'm sure Amelia here is sensible enough to have come to her senses. No lovely, charming young woman such as herself would want to love a vampire."

Daniel was the one who laughed at that. "No offence, Miss Newlin, but you really don't know Amelia," he spoke. "The whore would have spread her legs for any of those creatures just to piss her daddy off."

Amelia turned to look to Daniel as a smirk remained on his face and she rolled her eyes, pretending to turn away but doing the opposite after a moment, her hands going to his shoulders as she raised her knee and let it make contact with his groin. Daniel doubled over as his bodyguards remained stood where they were, not bothering to intervene as Amelia turned back to Steve.

"Where is he?" she demanded from him. "And what have you done to Sookie and Hugo?"

"They are all safe," he said, hands held up in defence. "I am sure that I can take you to them."

"You bitch!" Daniel finally gained his breath to snap at her.

"Daniel, I am sure everything will be fine," Steve said. "Sarah will show you to my office. I will take Amelia to Godric."

"Steve-"

"-Sarah, darling," Steve interrupted and Amelia saw a look of concern on Sarah's face. "She's going to be fine. Now come along, Miss Jones. I will take you to Godric."

Amelia knew she had no other option as she entered the hallway and followed Steve, leaving Daniel with Sarah. She walked slowly behind Steve before she heard him speak to a man who was stood by a door, seemingly guarding it.

"Gabe," Steve said. "Take Miss Jones down to Godric…make sure he is locked away."

"As you say," Gabe said and Amelia gulped.

Steve chuckled as Amelia felt fear flow through her. Something was wrong. Something was really wrong. Walking to the open door that Gabe held in his hand, Amelia ducked underneath his arm and looked down the steps. Moving down them, she looked around, wondering where the hell Sookie and Hugo were. The corridor was empty, save for a pen at the end. That was when she saw him. Amelia rushed forwards then as his gaze met hers and he saw Gabe walk slowly down the corridor.

"She's your human, isn't she?" Gabe spoke to Godric as Amelia moved her fingers through the silver fence that separated her from Godric.

"You should not have come, Amelia," Godric whispered to her.

"The hell I shouldn't," she snapped, relief that Godric was alive and well.

"Pretty little thing, isn't she?" Gabe spoke and Amelia felt her spine stiffen before she realised that Godric was locked in the cell and Gabe was advancing towards her. Before she had a chance to turn around, he was behind her, his front near her back as the back of his hand brushed her hair over her shoulder.

"And you're locked in there," Gabe whispered and Godric's glare narrowed as Amelia closed her eyes and his hand ran down her side, grabbing the flesh at her hip. "It's funny, really…what I could do to her and you could do nothing about it. What about it, huh, baby?"

"I suggest you release her," Godric spoke and Gabe chuckled, nodding his head as he backed away, eyeing Godric with a smirk.

"I have business with the Soldiers," Gabe said. "But I'll be back."

Amelia turned around to see Gabe walk back up the steps, shutting the door to the basement behind him as Amelia was left alone with Godric. Turning to look back to him, she longed to be able to get through the silver and to him.

"I need you to listen very closely to me," Godric said, a stern tone in his voice.

"What is it?"

"Do you see those boxes in the corner?"

"What about them?"

"Inside them there are weapons," Godric said. "Wire cutters…pipes…all things that are silver. Take some wire cutters and cut this fence."

"Pretty stupid of Gabe to leave me with them," Amelia said and she moved with haste, rushing to the boxes in the corner as Godric pursed his lips.

"He's a brute, not intelligent," Godric told her as she finally moved towards him and cut the wire, tugging at it until the gap was big enough for Godric to fit through, finally standing in front of her. Moving a hand to his chest, Amelia felt slightly shaky as Godric moved to press a hand to her cheek, drawing her gaze up to his.

"Amelia," he whispered her name. "My love."

Moving to kiss him with vigour, Amelia wrapped a hand around the back of his neck, her lips moulding against his as her eyes firmly shut and she felt his arms wrap around her waist, drawing her tight against his body. Finally she pulled away for breath and then looked up to him, her hands going to his cheeks as she shook her head.

"You left me," she whispered and Godric heard the pain in her voice. Her relief had soon turned to a form of anger and hurt. Moving back, she pushed at his chest. "You left me, Godric!" she finally snapped.

"You know why I left, Amelia. I did it for you."

"You did it for me without even telling me," Amelia snapped back. "You wrote me a letter instead of facing me."

"Because of the pain I knew it would cause you, my love."

"And you thought it wouldn't cause me pain by just leaving a letter?" she retorted. "Godric, I know why you did it, but-"

Amelia had no chance to continue her sentence as a scream echoed through the basement. Godric moved with haste, an arm wrapping around Amelia's waist as he looked around and Amelia's brows furrowed, her own hand going to Godric's arm as she held onto it tightly.

"What was that?" she wondered from Godric.

"There is another basement next door," Godric informed her. "I believe that two humans are being held there from the faint murmurings I can hear."

"That must be Sookie and Hugo," Amelia said and began to move towards the door of the room they were looked in, rushing up the steps as Godric stood behind her and she tugged on the handle.

"Allow me," Godric spoke, pulling at the door and bursting it open with ease. Stepping into the hallway, Godric looked down to Amelia as the scream came from behind another door. Running over to it, it was already loosely open and Godric was the first one down, Amelia on his heel as the female scream continued.

Godric rushed ahead and Amelia caught up in time to see him holding onto Gabe by the throat, hauling him off the ground as Sookie buttoned up her summer dress and Amelia gaped in horror.

"Godric," Gabe choked. Amelia rushed over to Sookie, kneeling down by her side.

"Did he hurt you?" Amelia worried.

"He had no chance," Sookie said.

"Godric…no," Gabe spoke, but Godric did not listen.

He snapped his neck in an instant, discarding his lifeless body onto the floor. The snap noise echoed through the room and Amelia winced, closing her eyes and inhaling a sharp breath before helping Sookie to her feet. It was then when another scream echoed through their ears and they looked to the door above them.

"Bill!" Sookie gasped.

But Godric had his eyes closed and shook his head. "No. I'm here, my child. Down here."

Amelia knew he was speaking to Eric, but she didn't expect the blond vampire to show up as quickly as he did. In an instant, Eric was in front of Godric, kneeling down as the older vampire peered down to him.

"Godric," Eric spoke his name.

"You should not have come," Godric spoke, no pleasantries involved.

"I did what I had to do," Eric responded, challenging Godric before pushing himself from his knee to look his maker dead in the eye. "I was not going to leave you down here to rot."

"You should not have brought other people," Godric said.

"It was Hugo who betrayed us," Sookie piped up and Amelia felt for Isabel, knowing that she would have no idea that Hugo would be the one to betray them.

"I will deal with him," Eric hissed.

"No," Godric said. "You will take Sookie and get out of here. You will spill no blood. Do you understand me?"

"What about you?" Eric worried.

"I can take care of myself. Now go," Godric demanded and Eric did not argue twice.

He ushered for Sookie to follow him and she did so. The alarms began to sound and Amelia turned to Godric once they were alone in the basement, Gabe's lifeless corpse in the corner of the room from where Godric had dropped him. Looking to the vampire, Amelia gulped as he looked to her, but there was no glimmer in his eye. She hadn't noticed it before, but he looked numb. He looked like the vampire who had first come to her all those months ago.

"Godric-"

"-I need to get you away from here," Godric interrupted her.

He took hold of her hand, the weight of his fingers in her familiar. He began to pull her away, but she held firm, standing her ground as she tugged his arm.

"What are you going to do?" she asked, the worry evident in her tone.

Godric sighed and brushed a thumb over her cheekbone. "Nothing," he promised her. "Amelia, I am going to do nothing. I am going to sort this mess out and then I will come for you and we can talk, okay? I suspect we have a lot to discuss."

"Just a bit," Amelia mumbled.

Godric's lips quirked despite himself and he bent down, kissing her chastely before lacing his fingers into her hair.

"Never doubt my love for you, Amelia," Godric urged from her.

"I don't," Amelia responded. "I just wish you wouldn't doubt me like you do."

Godric had no time to ask her what she meant by that as another scream echoed through the church and he sighed, knowing that something wasn't right. Instead he took hold of Amelia by the waist, picking her up and moving with vampire speed to find somewhere safe for her to wait for him until he had sorted out the mess he had created.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	31. Chapter 31

Amelia never had been any good at following orders. About two minutes after Godric had left her, she found herself being drawn towards a familiar yell. She didn't stay put. She couldn't stay put. She had no idea where Godric had gone, but she wasn't going to sit around and wait to find out. If Sookie was in danger then Amelia had to help her. Sookie had risked her life to find Godric and Amelia owed her.

Dashing from the closed office, Amelia followed the noise of commotion, soon coming to the church. The doors were wide open and the pews littered with sleeping bags and members of the Fellowship of the Sun were gathered around the front near the altar. Amelia walked cautiously forwards, seeing that Sookie had been grabbed by a burly man, holding her back. Amelia wondered what they were all looking at, but she soon saw.

Eric had been tied down, silver draped over his skin and burning him. Amelia looked around, wondering if Godric had any plan to show up anytime soon. She bit down on her lip before she saw Steve Newlin stood over Eric, preaching about how this evil creature of Satan would go to hell soon enough. Amelia rolled her eyes and walked forwards, hands on her hips as she struggled to believe what she was hearing.

"Do you ever listen to yourself?" Amelia demanded from Steve as she strode forwards.

Someone made a move to grab her, but she held a hand up to stop them.

"If you touch me there is a vampire on the loose around here who will snap your neck in a second," Amelia said with a click of her fingers and the man looked to Steve, clearly worried. Amelia arched a brow and also looked to Steve. "If I am out here then you better be damned sure that Godric is somewhere round here."

Steve seemed to gulp then, but he waved a dismissive hand to the man who had threatened to grab Amelia.

"The war has begun," Steve informed her. "Nothing is going to stop us now."

"What war?" Amelia asked from him. "There is no war. There is only the war that you have invented."

"You can watch us begin to kill every vampire that dares to challenge us."

"Okay," Amelia said with a tap of her foot. "So you're going to let Eric go and we are just going to walk out of here."

"The hell I am," Steve said with a jovial laugh, leaning back slightly as he made the noise. He looked to Amelia and pointed to her. "You are going to stand right there and cause us no trouble."

"That isn't really-"

Before Amelia could finish her story, the doors to the church barged open. Everyone turned their head over their shoulders as a Southern drawl echoed through the church, his voice booming as he yelled out: "Sookie!"

Sookie seemed to breath a sigh of relief as she looked to the man. "Bill!" she called his name and he used his vampire speed to come forwards, grabbing hold of Sookie and pushing the man who held her back, causing him to fall and topple over the pews.

"Steve Newlin!"

Amelia groaned as she heard Stan's voice. She looked to the doors and saw him walking through with his friends behind him. Amelia moved though, ignoring Stan as Steve left Eric and everyone turned their attention onto him.

"You think we are going to sit back and watch you kill vampires while we do nothing?" he demanded from Steve and Amelia rolled her eyes at his dramatics as she stood in front of Eric. "You have pushed us too far and we will kill you…the same way we killed your daddy."

"Jesus," Amelia complained as Steve yelled 'murderer' at Stan.

"Where is Godric?" Eric managed to choke out and ask Amelia as she shrugged, reaching for the chains that had been draped over him.

"He told me to wait for him and then left. I have no idea where he went," Amelia said.

"And you decided to ignore him?"

"Why break the habit of a lifetime?" Amelia mumbled as Eric hissed out in pain. "Hold still."

"I'm trying, but it's pretty difficult when you're yanking silver off of me."

"I am going as slowly as I can," Amelia said to him as she took the last section off and tossed the silver off to the side. Hands on her hips, she looked to Eric as he sat up, his gaze set on her before he moved off, grabbing Steve Newlin by the throat as Stan and his friends taunted the other soldiers.

"You're welcome then," Amelia said sarcastically as she turned to look to Eric who had kept hold of Steve, keeping him pinned to the steps beneath him.

It was then when Amelia saw him. Looking up, he was on the floor above, balancing on the railing as though there wasn't a fifteen-foot drop beneath him. His gaze wracked over the scene in front of him and Amelia swore she saw a hint of sorrow in his eye. But then he cleared his throat and his voice commanded attention.

"Enough," he said without the need to roar.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up to Godric.

"You came for me, I presume," Godric spoke and then turned his eye onto Stan. "Underling?"

Stan looked annoyed at the thought of having to answer him instead of letting his fangs delve into the flesh of the man he had in his grip.

"Yes, Sheriff," Stan said.

"Then let these people go," Godric spoke. "Prove to them that we can co-exist. Mr Newlin. Will you set an example with me?"

"I will not," Steve spat.

Godric let out a slow nod. "So be it," he whispered.

Before anyone could react, Godric had jumped down from the balcony and took hold of Steve from Eric, holding the back of his neck as Amelia stood back, letting Godric take control of the situation. He said something to Steve about how he was disappointed in him before asking if anyone would be willing to die for him. The soldiers remained mute and Amelia scoffed, knowing that Steve commanded very little power. She said nothing, watching on as Godric tossed Steve to the side and demanded for everyone to stand down and return to the nest.

"Sheriff," Stan said, his voice complaining.

"The nest," Godric reiterated.

He watched as people began to leave before he turned to look to Amelia. Holding his hand out to her, he watched her hesitate before she took it. Her fingers threaded into his as he walked back down the aisle with her, past Steve Newlin who was on the floor, looking dejected and deflated.

"I did ask you to wait for me," Godric commented as they exited the complex, noticing vampires dashing off into the air to return to the nest. Amelia nodded once.

"You did," she responded.

"And yet I found you in the midst of the fight."

"I was on the outskirts," she contradicted him. "And I heard Sookie scream. Where were you anyway?"

"I ran into some trouble on my way," Godric said to her. "Everything is under control now. We should return to the nest. No doubt there are some people who want to talk to me."

"And me?" Amelia wondered from him. "Godric, we need to talk."

"And we will," he promised her, standing still on the sidewalk as he moved to cup her cheeks in his grip. "I promise."

….

Amelia had given Sookie another dress to wear after hers had been ripped with thanks to Gabe. Amelia had sat up in her room for a few minutes. She had heard the noise of chatter downstairs and she knew that Godric had been receiving well wishes from people in his area. Amelia didn't entirely feel like going down and being social, but she knew that she should be.

Isabel had been told that Hugo had been the one who had betrayed them and she had gone to find him, suspecting that he couldn't have gone far. Amelia wondered what Godric had intended to do once he found him. She doubted he would be too harsh. Godric had proven that he couldn't be overly ruthless most of the time. Of course, he was with those who threatened to hurt the people he cared for. Hugo was probably just a man who had made a foolish mistake.

Amelia contemplated moving, but she had no need. Instead she found Eric in the doorway of her room, leaning against it with his arms folded over his chest. "Skulking away from the party?"

"Funnily enough I don't fancy standing in a room full of vampires, the majority of who are Stan's friends and blame me for Godric disappearing in the first place."

Eric's lips quirked into a smirk. "You're narky this evening. I would have thought that you would be downstairs and draped all over Godric."

"Your maker isn't exactly in my good books," Amelia said to him, moving to her feet.

"He is back and he is safe," Eric said to her. "Surely that is all that matters?"

"But he went in the first place," Amelia said. "And I don't want to see him go again."

"You really are pretty narky tonight," Eric said, watching as she slipped past him in the doorway and he turned to look down to her. "Just don't piss Godric off. Got it."

Amelia rolled her eyes and went down the stairs, Eric following closely behind her. She noticed Sookie move towards Eric, turning her head over her shoulder to see Bill behind him. Amelia chuckled, suspecting that Eric could handle himself. Wandering through the busy kitchen, she saw Godric sat in the corner of the living room by the large windows, lounging in the grey chair by himself. Wandering over to him, Amelia kept her gaze downcast, hands by her sides before looking to him, her gaze meeting his. Holding his hand out to her, he leant forwards, taking her fingers into his and kissing the back of her hand.

"Where have you been?" Godric enquired from her.

"I went to give Sookie some clothes," she responded. "Her dress was ripped."

"That was very kind of you," Godric said.

"It was the least I could do for her," Amelia said. "Listen, Godric-"

"-I have sent for a human for you."

Amelia almost wanted to yell out in frustration, wondering when she would get time with Godric alone. They both looked up to Eric as he sauntered forwards, hands in his pocket as he looked smug.

"She is an AB-"

"-You sent for someone?" Amelia interrupted him. "What the hell is wrong with my blood?"

"Rarer bloods are better for him," Eric spoke. "He needs his strength. It isn't sexual."

"Still," Godric responded. "I would prefer not to drink from someone else. I will be fine. I do not need any blood."

"Godric-"

"-That is final," Godric responded.

"No," Amelia interrupted. "Eric is right. You do need blood. You're looking paler than usual. Just…drink from the donor."

Godric's eyes widened and he blinked once. "You wish for me to drink from the donor?"

"No, but if it will help more than my blood then that is the main thing, isn't it?" Amelia responded. "I mean, you can have my blood if you want, but if it isn't good enough then-"

"-It is more than good enough," Godric interrupted her, brushing her hair behind her shoulder, his fingers tickling against her neck. "My child is making presumptions, as per usual."

"Fine," Amelia shrugged, "but you do need to drink…but not here. I'll be upstairs in my room."

Godric sighed as she moved from his grip, rushing away from him. He looked to Eric and narrowed his eyes as Eric held his hands up defensively.

"She's pissed off with you," Eric said. "It has nothing to do with me."

Godric said nothing else, but he went upstairs, moving through the crowd and not acknowledging any of them. He moved down the hallway to her room, closing the door behind him and locking it, hoping that no one would disrupt them. Godric perched down on the edge of her bed as Amelia finished closing her curtains. She rolled up the sleeves to her dress and offered her wrist out to him. Godric arched a brow.

"The arm?" he questioned.

"I don't particularly feel like being intimate," she told him.

"I see," Godric said. "I take it you would rather talk than let me drink from you?"

"I want you to do both," Amelia told him.

"Then we will talk first," Godric said, grabbing hold of her hand and forcing her to sit down next to him. He moved to lean forwards, hands resting on his thighs as he sighed and Amelia leant forwards too, arms folding over her lap. "You know why I did what I did, Amelia. I made a deal with Steve Newlin and Daniel. I asked him to leave you alone if I went to the Fellowship of the Sun. In return Steve Newlin would have his vampire and he would endorse Daniel. It was a deal between the three of us."

"A deal you did without consulting me," Amelia said.

"A deal I did for you," he responded. "Amelia, I saw how you were. I saw what Daniel was doing to you. You were…it was ruining you. I couldn't sit back and watch."

Amelia sighed and shook her head. "Yeah, fine," Amelia shrugged. "I was tired. It was getting me down. It was draining me…but I would have coped. I would have gotten through it. I was strong enough to get through it, Godric. I was strong enough and you doubted that and ran away."

"No," Godric responded. "Amelia, I never doubted your strength. I knew that you were strong enough to get through it…but I didn't want you to have to be strong enough. I didn't want you to have to go through it."

"And you thought that this was the answer?" Amelia wondered from him. "Godric, I am strong enough to get through any of the shit that Daniel throws at me. I can deal with that. I can cope with it. What I can't cope with is you running off to get yourself killed because of me. You went there because of me and that…the thought of that would have destroyed me more than anything else."

"No," Godric said. "Amelia, that was not my intention."

"I know," she said, "but did you not think, Godric? Did you not think about how that would feel?'

Godric gulped at that and took a moment to think about his answer. "Yes," he responded to her. "And no. I thought about you, of course I did. But I did not think that you would feel guilt, only sadness over my death. I would never have wanted you to feel guilt."

"But I would have," Amelia responded.

"I see that now," Godric told her. "But Amelia, I need you to see it from my perspective. I love you. I love you more than anything, but by being with me I was causing you nothing but pain. I was causing you nothing but hurt…and maybe we might be happy and get through whatever Daniel threw at us…but what about the future, Amelia? If you were to be with me then I would rob you of so much. I would rob you of the day…children…a normal life. I knew that I would hurt you, Amelia, in the short term, but I had hoped that in the long term you would be happier than you are now, or could be with me."

Amelia let out a deep sigh at hearing him. She closed her eyes and felt a tear threaten to spill out. She blinked a few times to hold them back and turned her head to the side, looking to Godric as he stared back to her, his face earnest and full of sorrow. She said nothing for a second. She could only move to kiss him chastely before letting her forehead rest against his.

"Godric," she whispered, "I don't know what I want, okay? I mean, yeah, I have thought about you changing me. Of course I have. I don't want to be thirty and you still look young. But…recently…all I have thought about is getting through all of this."

"But you might think of changing and I don't know if I could do it, Amelia," Godric said. "I love you so very much and it is because I love you that I know I should be selfless…I know I should let you go."

"And what about me?" Amelia asked. "Do I not get a say in any of this, Godric?"

"My only fear is that you will regret what you say now in thirty years time."

"And if I don't?" she wondered from him. "What if we didn't regret it? What if in thirty years time we were happy together? We were living somewhere else? What if we were travelling? Just being us? Just being happy like we have been? What then, Godric? It would be a regret that you never even gave us a chance."

Amelia pulled back then and Godric nodded his head. He felt himself think about what she had just said before he leant forwards and moved to his feet, hands going behind his back. "I didn't think about that either."

A sad smile pulled on Amelia's lips. "Seems you didn't think about everything after all, huh?"

"Apparently not," Godric responded. "After two thousand years it seems I still don't know everything."

"I guess not," Amelia said. "So what do we do, Godric? Where do we go from here?"

"Where do you want to go from here?" he asked of her.

"Well," she said, moving to her feet. "I don't want you to go back to the Fellowship of the Sun, okay?"

"Understood," Godric said.

"And we need to talk, alright? We need to tell each other everything. No more doing what we think is best. No more overly-thinking every move. We just talk to each other," Amelia said.

Godric moved his fingers to rest against her cheek, his thumb roaming over her cheekbone as his other hand took hold of her waist. "Done," he whispered to her.

"Okay," Amelia told him, moving her hand to tug her hair over one shoulder as Godric ran his nose along the length of her neck, inhaling her scent as she closed her eyes. "I love you, Godric. Just never forget that."

"Just as I love you," he promised her.

She heard his fangs snick downwards and she smiled as she felt him bite into her skin, his arm holding her waist to keep her upright. His fingers snaked upwards, reaching for the zip to the back of her dress as she moved her hands down in between them, trying to find the buttons to his pants as they forgot entirely about the party downstairs.

….

Godric let the duvet pool around his waist as Amelia rested in the crook of one of his arms. His other arm went behind his head as her fingers traced his torso. She had the duvet up to her shoulders, her eyes closed as she gathered her breath. It took her a couple of minutes to stop panting, her fingers dancing against his skin as she peered up to him.

"So what now?" Amelia whispered.

"Now…I suspect I should go downstairs and re-join the party," Godric told her. "However, I cannot deny that I am having much more fun laying here with you."

"Such a cad," Amelia yawned.

Godric chuckled and bent down to kiss her, wondering if he had ever been as content as he was when he was with Amelia.

"Do you think they know where we are?" Amelia asked from him.

"Probably," Godric told her. "But let them think what they want. I don't care. The walls are soundproof too. We have no reason to worry."

"Thank goodness for that," Amelia said, patting his chest. "And as much as I would like to hide up here all night, we can't exactly stay here forever, can we?"

"I suppose not," Godric said.

It was then when there was a knock on the door. Godric sighed and moved to his feet, wrapping a sheet around his waist and leaving Amelia the duvet. She sat up slightly, bending her elbows to hold her weight. Looking to the door as Godric opened it, she saw Eric in the doorway and groaned.

"Hugo has been found," he informed Godric. "We are waiting for your judgment."

"I will be there in a moment."

Eric looked over Godric's shoulder to Amelia. "At least this time I waited until you had finished fucking," he commented and Amelia rolled her eyes.

"How decent of you," she said sarcastically and Godric chuckled before looking back to Eric.

"Don't taunt her," he warned from his progeny.

"She gives as good as she gets," Eric responded.

"That she does," Godric agreed. "I will be down as soon as I am dressed. Keep him there…let him squirm."

"Of course," Eric said with a sardonic smirk.

Amelia remained sat where she was as Godric began to reach for his clothes and dress at normal speed. He sat down on the bed as soon as his underwear was back over his legs. Leaning over, he placed a hand to her shoulder.

"What are you going to do to him?" she wondered of him, picking his hand up and kissing the back of it.

"Let him go," Godric said and Amelia's eyes widened. He arched a brow. "Not what you were expecting, my love?"

Amelia shifted slightly so that she was fully sat up, clutching the duvet under her arms as she folded her legs. She had to admit that she was struggling not to stare at Godric as he remained tantalisingly undressed in front of her, the muscles in his torso prominent as he bent over slightly to watch her.

"I don't know what I was expecting," she admitted to him. "I thought that you would be lenient, but I didn't expect you just to let him go."

Godric shrugged. "Killing him would destroy Isabel. I cannot do that to her. He made a mistake. He chose wrong and betrayed a woman who loves him dearly. I think that he will suffer enough knowing that."

"I guess so," Amelia said as Godric moved to his feet once more, reaching for his dark pants and slipping into them. "You know that Stan will not be happy, right?"

"Stan is not the Sheriff," Godric replied. "I am the one who is in charge. He is not."

"I know that, but he has been quite prissy since you have gone missing."

"Are you implying he was not prissy before?" Godric said, a smirk on his face as Amelia laughed softly, unable to help herself as he pulled his top over his head and reached for his sneakers.

"I guess he always has been," Amelia said. "Anyway, I should get dressed-"

"-I think not," Godric interrupted her, crawling back onto the bed and settling above her as he forced her to lay back down, his weight on top of her as his hand went to tangle into her hair. "I want you to stay right here until I return. I am not done with you this evening."

"Oh really?" Amelia teased, her smile wide and Godric nodded, his own lips quirking.

"Really," he confirmed and she leaned up to kiss him chastely.

"I guess I can stay here then," she said.

"Good," Godric replied, kissing her once more. "I will be back as soon as I can."

Amelia smiled as she watched him leave, closing the door behind him. She sat up in bed and reached for her cell on the bedside table, checking messages from her mother and the latest news. Placing her cell down after a moment, she looked to Godric's necklace that still sat on the surface. She reached to pick it up, holding it in her fist before lying back down and closing her eyes, a smile on her face as she felt contentment flow through her.

It was only when the blast struck did she realise that happy ending's had never suited her and Godric.

…

A/N: Thanks so much to anyone reading. An ominous ending, but do let me know what you think might happen!


	32. Chapter 32

As soon as the explosion rang through the house, Godric felt fear course through his veins. He had thought that the boy had simply been someone's human when he had entered the nest. Not for one minute did he think that it would be a suicide bomber sent by Steve Newlin. Godric didn't know what damage had been done until the dust had settled, but there were bodies strewn around, moaning and groaning as some sobbed.

It was only when Godric looked towards his office did he see that the floor from above had collapsed through. It was the floor with his bedroom in it. He used his vampire speed to rush towards the wreckage, looking around for any sign of Amelia. He soon saw her, buried under rubble, her eyes closed and her body seemingly crushed. Godric felt rage course through him as he bent down, picking the rubble up without any strength truly needed. He tossed it to the side as he soon got to her, kneeling before her and taking her cheek into his hand.

"Amelia, my love," he whispered.

She was still on the bed that had come through the floor, the duvet barely covering her. Godric reached for her body, keeping the blanket around her as he hauled her from the bed to take her somewhere more comfortable. He could hear her pulse, despite the fact that it was weak. The duvet draped over her body as Godric found the sofa on the other end of the house, keeping her away from prying eyes. Laying her down, he knelt by her side once more.

"Amelia, darling," he urged from her, but she was not responding. Her lips were parted and blood trickled down her forehead. Godric soon wiped it away, looking over for more blood, but he saw nothing. He could see bruises forming on her face. He also noted that her ankle seemed to hang at an abnormal angle. Godric closed his eyes before he let his fangs snick down.

Moving his wrist to his mouth, he bit down into his skin and drew blood, just as his progeny appeared over his shoulder. Eric's eyes widened as he saw blood drink down Godric's wrist. He moved his wrist to Amelia's mouth, holding it open and letting the blood trickle down her throat.

"I would have given her my blood, Godric," Eric said.

Godric shook his head. He had once told his progeny that he would not give his blood away. He considered the blood to be sacred. But these were exceptional times. Godric had his exception to the rules and Amelia Jones was turning out to be his number one exception. He watched on as she continued to drink his blood, slowly gaining her strength as he saw her ankle begin to heal. Her hands were clasped around his wrist as she lapped up his blood.

She soon stopped when Godric tore his wrist away from her mouth and she moaned. He wiped the blood onto his pants as he let himself heal and Amelia groaned loudly.

"What happened?" she asked from him.

"Steve Newlin sent a suicide bomber," Godric told her. "The upstairs floor collapsed in and you fell through. I have healed you, but I suspect you will still feel sore."

"Are you alright?" she wondered, sitting up as Godric moved to perch on the edge of the sofa as she kept the duvet under her arms, keeping her covered. Moving his hand out to her neck, he let his fingers dance softly over her skin as he looked her in the eye, the tips of his fingers feeling the chain she wore around her neck.

"I am perfectly fine," he promised her. "But we need to get out of here."

"Agreed," Eric said.

"Eric, have everyone go to the Hotel Carmilla. It will be paid for on my account, of course," Godric said, his eyes closing for a moment. "I will be there as soon as I can. Firstly, I need to find Amelia some clothes."

Eric nodded and sped off before Godric took hold of Amelia, cradling her in his arms. She draped an arm over his neck as he moved off through the room, heading towards the staircase that had been destroyed. He jumped up to the second floor, but most of it was collapsed in. Godric shook his head before returning downstairs to see everyone being evacuated.

"I do not trust the structure of the house," Godric informed Amelia as he stepped outside, unlocking his preferred sporty car and holding the passenger door open. He placed Amelia down onto the seat. "Stay here. I will be back in a moment."

He was right when he said that he would be back in a moment. He handed Amelia a green dress, a pair of tights and her black pumps.

"I can't even get changed in the back seat," she said to him.

"Allow me," Godric said, taking her hand and helping her to stand up. He tugged the duvet away from her as she gasped, but he held the blanket up, using it as a cover for her to dress in private. She quickly slipped the green dress onto her body before sitting back down and shimmying the tights up her legs. Once she had her shoes on her feet, Godric tossed the blanket off to the side, looking to his house that had been completely evacuated.

"It will take a while for this to be rebuilt," Godric commented as Amelia heard a sense of sorrow on his lips.

He moved a hand into his pockets and pulled out the necklace that had been on Amelia's nightstand before looking to her. "I gave this to you," he said to her.

"I know," Amelia said, "but if I put it on then I accepted that you had gone. I wasn't going to do that."

Godric nodded at hearing her, bending down to place the necklace back over his neck. "I suspect that makes sense," he said to her. "I just wanted you to have a part of me when I had gone."

"But I just want you," Amelia said in a whisper. "And now I have you."

Godric nodded, bending down to kiss her on the top of her head. "I think we might need to find somewhere else to live, my love," he said. "But, then again, I have been thinking…dreaming, if you shall."

"Have you really?" she wondered as he urged her to get back into the car. She sat down as Godric climbed into the driver's seat. He started the ignition and began to speak as he put the car into drive and he sped off, trying to stick to the speed limits.

"The nest has been my home for many years," Godric said. "But, while I was in the Fellowship of the Sun, I thought about what it would be like to build a new home with you…a home that we could call ours."

"But what about Stan and Isabel?"

"I would have left the nest for them," Godric promised her. "However, I was thinking that it would be nice for us to have our own place. I would like that."

"You're serious?" Amelia wondered from him. "So while you were down there, planning to kill yourself, you thought about this? Why the hell didn't you just escape and make it a reality?"

"Because it was a dream, as I said," Godric said. "However, it is what I want, Amelia. I want you. I just want you."

"Then let's do it," she responded. "Let's get the little house with the white picket fence and the mailbox."

"You want that?"

Amelia rolled her eyes. "Godric, I only want you," she said, "but yeah, that does sound nice, doesn't it? Something idyllic and peaceful. We haven't had that in a long time."

Godric chuckled and nodded. "I suspect we have not."

…

Godric knew that he was in trouble when the night rolled around again. Nan Flanagan had heard about the explosion and was on her way to discover what had happened. But then Isabel had told Godric that Stan had not been accounted for at the Hotel. Godric had nodded and Isabel had simply left, almost as though she felt nothing for Stan, despite living with him.

Godric had felt some kind of sorrow at that news, but he knew that he and Stan had not seen eye to eye for a long time. Stan had wanted war. He had wanted destruction and Godric had advocated for peace. He had told Amelia and she had simply nodded her head, her eyes widening as she ran a hand down Godric's arm. She had changed into a fluffy robe after showering, her hair wet and slicked back.

Crossing her legs as she sat on the bed, she looked to Godric as he unbuttoned his shirt.

"You alright," she wondered from him, her hand running up and down his arm.

"Fine," Godric assured her. "Stan was reckless in the end, Amelia. He advocated war and he died because of hatred."

"He was still your underling."

"Yes, he was," Godric nodded his head. "But he has gone now, Amelia. We all die eventually. I suspect when you live as long as I do, you realise that. Life is not infinite, even for a vampire."

"I guess," Amelia said, kissing the side of his neck.

"I am fine," Godric assured her. "You should get some rest, Amelia. The sun is coming up and after today you need to sleep. Nan Flanagan will be here this evening so we have that to prepare for."

"Can't wait," Amelia complained and slipped into the bed, resting her head on the pillow as she saw Godric shrug out of his shirt and drop it onto the chair, turning to look back at her as she bit down on her lip and Godric arched a brow. "Don't look at me like that," she demanded from him.

"Like what?" Godric asked from her, feigning innocence.

"I know what happens when vampires give humans blood, Godric," she spoke. "So don't play dumb, especially when you are stood there half naked."

He chuckled then and moved back to the bed, climbing on top of her as he trapped her under his weight. He moved his hand down the duvet, tugging it from her as he let his fingers go to the tie holding her robe closed. Cautiously, he undid it, parting the robe as she squirmed against him.

"You're feeling pretty insatiable this evening, darling," he whispered into her ear and she rolled her eyes.

"Don't get used to it. Your blood will wear off pretty soon."

Godric chuckled and nodded. "Duly noted."

….

Godric awoke the following night, but Amelia was still fast asleep. He was not surprised after their activities the night before, but he had hoped that she would be awake. Regardless, he soon found himself the subject of numerous requests. He showed and dressed, changing into a white shirt and trousers before slipping his sneakers onto his feet. He looked to Amelia and pulled the duvet up to her chin before leaving her be, kissing her on the forehead.

He left the room, locking the door behind him as he went down to reception, wondering if there were any messages for him. But he didn't need to wait for long. He heard his voice, turning around and looking to the foyer. He was sat there, holding a newspaper in his fingertips as his security detail stayed back. Moving to his feet once he saw Godric, he tossed the newspaper to the coffee table by the sofa and folded his arms over his chest.

"We need to talk," he declared.

Godric knew the voice instantly, turning his head over his shoulder to see Daniel stood there.

"Do we?" Godric wondered back from him, not wishing to cause a scene as he wandered towards him. "I have nothing to say to you. I have no wish to talk to you, nor does Amelia. I suggest you leave us alone."

"You went back on your promise," Daniel hissed. "Who is to say that I shouldn't go and tell everyone in the press?"

"And what would that achieve?" Godric enquired from him. "What would people think if you suddenly went to the press and said that you aren't sorry? They would see what I see now. They would see a bitter man…a twisted and horrible man who simply won't leave his ex-fiancée alone to enjoy her life. Do you truly think that will look good for you in the polls?"

Daniel began to seethe then. Godric knew that he was right. He had a point. He knew that. Saying nothing for a few moments, Daniel tried to gather his thoughts and Godric nodded.

"I thought as much."

"Do you honestly think that you can just walk away from this as though nothing has happened?"

"Yes," Godric nodded. "Because I know that you care more about your political career than you do about getting revenge on Amelia or me. So, I suggest you simply just leave it be, unless you want us to give as good as we get because, I assure you, we would."

Daniel shook his head and pointed at Godric. "You're not going to win. You and your kind are never going to win."

"Very wise to say such things in the middle of a hotel designed to cater for vampires," Godric said calmly. "I suggest you leave now."

He shook his head. "You're welcome to her," Daniel said.

"No," Godric said with a shake of his head. "I am honoured to have her. That is the difference between us. I know what she is worth and it is ten of you."

Godric walked away then, a smirk on his face as he left Daniel red faced, knowing that he had lost the argument. There was no way that he was going to come for them now. He had nothing to come with, anyway. It had been done. Godric had seen that.

Now he only had Nan Flanagan to deal with. Once she had gone then he swore that he would stay out of trouble. He made a promise to himself. Of course, he should have known that life was never that simple.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	33. Chapter 33

Returning to his suite, Godric found that Amelia was changing into the same clothes she had worn the night before, her hair damp and hanging down her back as she pulled her tights onto her legs. She turned to look to the door as she saw him enter, a serene look on his face as he walked over to her, kissing her chastely as she straightened up.

"Everything okay?" she asked from him.

Nodding once, he sat down on the edge of the bed. "Your ex was in the lobby waiting to talk to me. He was not happy that I reneged on our deal."

"What did he say?" Amelia wondered and Godric's lips quirked.

"The usual threats," he responded and Amelia rolled her eyes. "However, I soon reminded him that he would hate to ruin his position in the polls by changing his tune. Hopefully that was enough to get him to back away."

"And if it isn't?" Amelia enquired, picking a towel up and running it through her hair before sitting on the bed cross legged, pulling the dress down her thighs as she looked to Godric and he shrugged, flopping back to lay on the mattress.

"Then I am tempted to rip his throat out," Godric said and Amelia snorted before he threw her an amused gazed with an arched brow and she stopped smirking.

"You're serious?" she checked, thinking that he had been joking.

"Deadly," Godric drawled. "Of course, I might just threaten him first and act second. I have become much more reasonable in my latter years."

"Okay," Amelia nodded. "So what happens now? I suspect we need to wait for Nan Flanagan to arrive? I mean; do we really need to sit and listen to her drivel? All she is going to do is moan and yell at us. She really is quite tedious."

Flattening his hands on his stomach, Godric chuckled at hearing Amelia as he closed his eyes and shrugged his shoulders awkwardly, his feet dangling over the side of the bed. He only opened his eyes when he felt Amelia's weight on him, her legs straddling either side of him as she bent down, her forehead touching his and he moved his hands to hold her thighs in his fingers.

"We could just run," Amelia whispered to him, pecking him on the lips as he smirked. "We could get out of here…pick some stuff up from the house…and go."

"Hmm," Godric hummed. "As tempting as that sounds, are you not enrolled in a college course? I do believe you have responsibilities here now, my love."

Amelia nodded. "I know," she responded to him. "But if you wanted to go then I could just-"

"-Just nothing," Godric interrupted her with a firm shake of his head. "I suspect you have missed too many lectures because of my recent antics. As much as I would love to take you away again, I am not going to interrupt your studies again. You will return to college, Amelia…and we can go away another time."

"Okay," she said, not putting up a fight as Godric kissed her once more. "But we are going away again."

"We most certainly are," Godric confirmed to her.

Amelia moved to kiss him again, her hands moving to the drawstring of his pants as Godric pulled away and chuckled, his lips moving to her neck as his hands tugged her dress up her thighs until he reached the elastic of her tights.

"You just showered, it seems," he commented.

"Hmm," Amelia hummed as she felt his normal teeth nip against her skin. "Perhaps you can join me next time."

Godric smirked as he stopped toying with her tights and moved his hands upwards, his fingers skimming against her stomach as he moved them behind her back, reaching for the clasp of her bra.

"You are acting rather depraved, my dear," he whispered against her ear as she tugged his pants down his legs. Somehow he managed to unclasp her bra and pull it from her dress, tossing it to the side. Before he could advance any further, a knock on the door distracted them.

Amelia groaned and moved off of Godric, tugging her dress down her legs as the vampire reached to pull his pants back up as Amelia opened the door to reveal the tall, Viking vampire in the corridor. He entered the room and Amelia rolled her eyes.

"Come in then," Amelia drawled as Eric saw his maker sat on the bed, leaning back on his elbows. Eric chuckled at the sight before looking down to Amelia, his brow arched and an entertained look on his face as she glanced back to him once she had closed the door again.

"You might want to put your bra back on. We have company in my suite."

Amelia instantly moved to hit him over the arm as she reached for her strapless bra.

"You are so annoying," she muttered as she stormed into the bathroom.

"I am not the one who is constantly wanting to have sex like some starved nymphomaniac," Eric responded and she gave him the finger before shutting the door to the bathroom and Eric chuckled before looking to his maker. Godric remained slightly entertained, although he would never tell Eric that. Instead he merely watched his child as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"She is too easy to wind up," Eric said.

"And you appear to get a great deal of enjoyment doing so."

Eric shrugged and moved his arms over his chest. "Maybe I do."

"Be nice, Eric," Godric warned him, moving to his feet and adjusting the pants around his hips before Amelia came back out from the bathroom, tugging her dress down her body as she huffed and threw a glare to Eric.

"Nan Flanagan is waiting for us," he said. "I would say it is best not to keep her waiting, but I struggle to give a shit."

"Now, now, Eric," Godric said, holding his hand out to Amelia. "We must be pleasant to Nan…to her face, at least."

Amelia smirked and took his fingers into hers, feeling him squeeze her hand as she beamed over to him, trying to assure him that everything would be okay. Walking down the corridor into Eric's suite, Annie was shocked to see Bill and Sookie were already there. Isabel was perched on the end of a sofa, dressed in a ruffled golden dress, her dark tresses hanging in waves down her back. Sookie wore a summer dress, her hair in a ponytail. Amelia was acutely aware that her hair was still damp, given that she had no time to blow dry it. Her clothes were also ruffled and she had no doubt that she looked a mess.

Looking to Nan Flanagan, Amelia almost groaned at the sight of her, two bodyguards behind her as she sat on a chair by the fireplace. Godric went to sit to her left, Amelia moving to sit between him and Isabel. Isabel placed a hand on Amelia's arm, the motion tender and obviously an attempt to show support. Amelia managed a smile for her before throwing Sookie a smile. Eric sat on the puffed up stool at the end of the room, leaning forwards.

"You've fucked up again, Godric," Nan began and Amelia kept her hand inside of his as Nan arched her brow between the two of them. "I should drain every one of you here."

"Stan would have gone to the church eventually. None of us knew anything about his business with Steve Newlin."

"Oh really?" Nan sniped back. "Because everyone who had met Stan in the past hundred or so years knew that he had a kink for killing humans, but you his nestmates and his Sheriff had no clue."

"How were we supposed to know?" Isabel demanded.

Amelia kept silent, uncertain what was happening. She knew about Stan's dislike for humans, but clearly they were keeping quiet about that. Amelia suspected it had something to do with Nan using it against them. It was better to play ignorant than to admit liability.

"It seems that Godric doesn't know much about his area nowadays." Nan hissed.

"Don't talk to him in that way," Eric said, his voice low and dangerous as he looked to Nan, defending his maker from her harsh tone.

"Don't talk to me that way," Nan responded, throwing him a snarky glare. "We need to get to the point," Nan turned to Godric. "How did they manage to abduct you?"

"I turned myself in," Godric said.

Nan looked perplexed. "Why?"

"They would have taken one of us sooner or later and I did what I thought was best," Godric said, turning his gaze to Amelia, his voice soft as he looked at her. "Clearly, I was wrong."

"So they wanted you to meet the sun and you were willing?" Nan demanded from him. "Despite the fact that weeks ago you were claiming how madly in love you are with a human."

"It is because I am in love why I made the decision," Godric said, his voice still low and even. "I do not expect you to understand, but it is the truth. I might have made what I thought was the right decision, but I see now that I was foolish."

Nan shook her head. "And a traitor?" she demanded from him.

"Only a rumour," Godric said, clearly not bringing Hugo into this mess. "I take full responsibility."

Nan scoffed. "You bet you do," she said to him.

"You cold bitch," Eric drawled.

"This is a vampire disaster," Nan said, looking to him. "No one has any sympathy for any of you. You all look like fools. Sheriff, you fucked up one too many times. You're no longer Sheriff. You're relinquished of your area."

"You can't do that!" Amelia was the one to snap as she leaned forwards and around Godric. She felt him squeeze her fingers tightly, almost urging her not to make a scene, but there was no chance of that not happening. "This is not his fault. This is Stan's fault. He was the one who killed Newlin's family! He was the one who went into the Church!"

"You're already in my bad books, Miss Jones," Nan said. "It seems that Godric is constantly messing up in his role as Sheriff because of you…"

"What are you implying?" Eric was the one to ask.

"I'm implying nothing," Nan said. "I am merely stating that Godric has made some wrong calls during his time as Sheriff and all of those calls have been since he has met her."

Amelia blinked profusely as Godric shook his head. Had she done this? Had she cost him his role as Sheriff?

"No," Isabel said with haste, "this is my fault-"

"-Isabel," Godric interrupted and shook his head slowly to her before looking to Nan once again. "I will resign with immediate effect, but I must say that Isabel would make a great Sheriff. She should take my place."

"No!" Eric snapped loudly. "You don't need to take her shit. She is a bureaucrat."

"You want to suffer too, Viking?" Nan demanded from him.

"You have no power over me. You're just on TV."

Nan smirked. "I wouldn't try me."

"Ms Flanagan," Sookie spoke up and Nan turned her gaze to her as Godric remained in his own thoughts, looking down onto the coffee table as Amelia wondered what was going through his mind. "Godric rescued me from this man who was going to attack me. I don't want to think about what would have happened if he hadn't have been there."

"That's sweet," Nan said sarcastically.

"God, you are such a bitch," Amelia said, unable to hold her tongue as Godric finally looked to her, seeming to shoot her a look that urged her to be quiet. But he should have known that Amelia did what she wanted by now. Her gaze was set on Nan as she glared at her, her voice harsh and her tone unrelenting with anger. "You know how much he has done as Sheriff. He has done everything you have wanted him to. How many lives has he saved in the past by patrolling Dallas? He helped to stop Hepatitis V…saved a vampire who was dying from it…and he makes one mistake and you want to punish him for it? When, really, it was Stan who is to blame, but you can't blame Stan, can you? You use Godric as a scapegoat, despite the fact he has done everything you ever ask him to do."

Nan looked amused as Amelia stopped, her cheeks tinged red. Nan let her lips quirk as her eyes darted to Godric.

"She has cost you so much already," Nan said. "She clearly needs taming."

"Taming?" Amelia snarled the word as Godric sighed, knowing what she was thinking. She moved to her feet and Godric reacted then as Eric also moved. "I am not some wild animal!"

"You behave like one," Nan said as Godric wrapped his arm around her waist, stopping her from advancing any further, keeping her side pressed against his front. "You've done nothing but cause shit. Just like Godric, you're a thorn in my side, Miss Jones."

"I'm not listening to this," Amelia said, holding her hands up. "You are blaming him and it isn't right. He is one of the best vampires I have met and you're a fool to blame him."

"Keep her under control," Nan said.

"I'm going," Amelia said and Godric looked to her and she was uncertain what he was thinking. Instead he seemed to communicate silently with Eric, nodding at him. The blond vampire took hold of Amelia by the elbow, steering her out of the room and down the corridor, back towards her own suite. Once there, he closed the door and looked to Amelia as she began pacing, hands on her hips. Turning to look to Eric, she threw her arms out to the side.

"He didn't even fight back," Amelia said and Eric watched her, his face unreadable as his eyes remained fixed on her pacing figure. "He just sat there and let her talk to him like he was dirt. He didn't even bother to argue."

"He didn't really get a chance," Eric said. "You jumped in before he could do anything."

"Because she pissed me off."

"It seems we can agree on something then," Eric mumbled and moved to sit down on the sofa as Amelia stood before him, hands on her hips. "The Godric in there is not the Godric I know."

Amelia looked interested then. "And what would that Godric have done," she asked from Eric.

"Ripped Nan Flanagan's throat out without a second thought," Eric said. "Then again, a lot has changed. But he didn't need you sticking your oar in and arguing with Flanagan."

Amelia placed a hand to her chest. "Me?" she asked from him. "I seem to remember you also jumping down her throat."

"He is my maker. You are his human," Eric said.

"And again, here we go with the insults," Amelia said, arms stretched to the side. "I am not his pet, okay? I don't really know what I am to him, but I am not just his human…something that he picked up one day and decided to care for. I wanted to protect him as much as you did."

"You are in denial," Eric said and Amelia wondered what he was going on about. "Nan was right about some things in there. Godric has only been in trouble because he has protected you."

"That's not fair," Amelia whispered, despite knowing it was true, her head shaking back and forth. "Would you stop trying to put all of this on me? Godric has helped me, yes. God knows I owe him so much and…maybe…maybe this was the final straw, but I never wanted him to go to the Fellowship. I never wanted him to leave for them."

Eric shrugged. "He would have ended up in front of Nan for something else if not for this," he said. "You attract trouble, but he won't give you up. He will never give you up."

"Then what are you asking from me?"

"He is asking nothing."

Neither of them had heard Godric enter the room. He had been listening from outside, knowing full well what Eric was trying to do. He was attempting to manipulate Amelia. He thought that he was doing the only thing that he could do to protect Godric. He was loyal. Godric knew that. But he did not need protecting. He was older than Eric. He had made Eric. He commanded a certain level of respect.

"You either need to change her or you're going to put your own neck on the line protecting her," Eric said, moving to his feet and pointing to Amelia. "She has cost you your position as Sheriff…she has seen you risk your life for her multiple times…how much more can you take, Godric?"

"Enough," Godric demanded, his voice stern and full of authority. Amelia wondered if she had ever heard him speak in such a manner to Eric. He looked angry. Long gone was his passive attitude, instead it was replaced with anger. "Leave. Now."

"Godric."

"I said, now," Godric said, not wanting Eric to appeal to him.

"I just want the best for you," Eric said, refusing to leave without fighting his corner as Amelia stood there, her arms folded and her gaze downcast. "I want the best for you, maker, and I am worried that she will only bring you pain. I am looking out for you."

"You were trying to manipulate her," Godric said.

"No-"

Eric was cut off as Godric used his vampire speed, grabbing his progeny by the throat and slamming him against the wall, cracks appearing from the sheer force as Godric's fangs snicked down, but Eric's remained in his mouth. An animalistic look took over Godric's face as Eric felt the atmosphere in the room darken. Godric was angry. He was angrier than Eric had seen him in years, decades even.

"Why is it so difficult for you to understand?" Godric demanded, his voice a snarl as Amelia contemplated getting involved, but she kept her distance, something about seeing Godric like this warning her not to get involved. "I love her, Eric. I have spent centuries walking this earth alone and I have never felt like this. I have never loved another as I love Amelia…and you…you attempt to take that away from me? To make her leave me by manipulating her?"

"I was trying to protect you," Eric said, his voice sounding like a plea. "I know you love her, but is she worth your life?"

"Yes," Godric said without skipping a beat. "Without her I would have gone to the Fellowship months ago and met the sun. Do you not see?"

Godric released Eric from his grip then as Amelia sunk down into the armchair, her hands covering her face as she struggled to comprehend what was happening.

"It is because you have never loved before that you don't understand," Godric spoke.

"I love you, Godric."

"But as a son loves a father," Godric said. "To love another…to give yourself to another…it is a different thing. Perhaps when that happens you will understand."

Eric said nothing then as Godric walked away from him, moving to the other side of the room to control his temper.

"Return to Shreveport," Godric demanded.

"Godric-"

"-Do not make me command you," Godric interrupted, turning his head over his shoulder to see blood pooling in the corner of Eric's eyes.

"No."

Amelia finally spoke up, holding her head high as she looked to Godric. She swore she saw his nostrils flare, but she didn't care. He didn't scare her. Nothing he did could scare her or drive her away. She kept her gaze even as her hands flattened against her sides.

"This isn't right, Godric," she said. "What Eric did…tried to do…it was cruel. I am not denying that, but he had a point, didn't he? I have caused you pain and risked your life. If I were Eric I would maybe have done the same thing. He is just looking out for you. He is trying to help you, just as I tried to help you. We just went about it differently."

"He was wrong to do what he did."

"Perhaps," Amelia said. "But I have cost you so much already, haven't I? I don't want to cost you your relationship with Eric. You love him and he loves you. Please…don't leave it this way. Don't punish him for wanting to keep you safe."

There was silence then as the two men in the room went silent. Eric kept his gaze on Amelia, but instead of being snarky or telling her to back off, he remained mute. He was silently shocked at what she had just said. Never before had he expected her to stand up for him as she had just done. He wanted to tell her that he didn't need her help. He didn't need some human trying to gain favour with his maker on his behalf, but he knew that things had changed. Amelia was not just a human to Godric and, no matter how much Eric wanted to argue contrary to that, he would lose. He knew that. But he was desperate. He was desperate to keep his maker safe.

"I want to keep you safe, Godric," Eric said, his voice hollow and sounding slightly broken. "The fact that you went to the Fellowship and wanted to end your life…you do not understand how that made me feel."

"I know, my child," Godric said, his tone still slightly rough. "I know."

"I can't lose you."

"You will not lose me," Godric assured him. "But if you think that you can keep me by pushing Amelia away, then you are sadly mistaken."

Eric nodded his head, seeming to understand that now. He had gotten the hint. He should have known beforehand, but he was desperate. He felt hopeless when it came to protecting Godric recently.

"I apologise, maker, I thought that…I thought that I was doing the right thing."

"Well, you were not," Godric said. "You should return to your suite, my son. The sun will be up in a few hours."

Eric arched his brow. "Not Shreveport?"

"I will speak with you privately tomorrow before you leave," Godric mused and Eric nodded.

"As you wish," he said and Godric bowed his head as his child left the room, the door closing quietly behind him as Amelia looked to Godric, her arms folding over herself and he peered over to her.

"I don't like you two fighting," Amelia said. "I imagine that is what it feels like to watch siblings argue with each other."

Godric remained impassive. "You did not need to get involved, Amelia."

She blinked profusely then as she looked to him. "Excuse me?" she demanded. "I just wanted to make sure that you weren't going to banish Eric for all eternity or whatever you do when you're pissed off. He isn't-"

"-I am not talking about Eric," Godric interrupted. "I am talking about Nan Flanagan."

"Oh," Amelia said, slightly deflated. "Look, I know I spoke out of turn, but she deserved it. And, actually, I'm not sorry. If I had to do it again then I would. She had no right to talk to you how she did. It was wrong."

"But she is still above my station," Godric said.

"In terms of position, but in nothing else," Amelia said.

"I appreciate your concern, I really do," Godric promised her. "But I am old enough and senior enough to look after myself. Do you think that I would not have fought back if I wanted to remain as Sheriff? Amelia, you may think me mild mannered and, perhaps I have calmed down, but do not doubt that I am able to speak for myself."

"I never doubted that," Amelia said with haste, holding a hand up. "I know that you can, Godric, but-"

"-No buts," Godric spoke. "You are in our world, my love. I need you to understand that are certain times when you will be angry and want to show it, but I need you to keep quiet and calm."

"And sit on your arm like a doting fangbanger?" she asked, her voice a drawl as she dropped her hands to her hips.

"If needs be to keep you safe and not piss off other vampires, then yes," Godric nodded and Amelia felt her eyes roll despite herself. "What we discuss or how you act in private or among our friends is different. But in certain situations, I need you to trust me that I know what I am doing and, today, I knew what I was doing."

"And what were you doing?"

"Relinquishing control of Area Nine," Godric said. "Amelia, I wanted this. I wanted Nan to take the position of Sheriff from me. I am tired of it all. I am bored of the politics."

"Then why didn't you tell me that?" Amelia wondered.

Godric shrugged. "And if I did," he said, "would you have sat there silent and let her talk to me as she did?"

"Probably not," Amelia responded.

"Then we have our answer," Godric spoke.

"But you would not have let her talk to me as she did you," Amelia said. "Hell, you never let anyone even dare to utter a bad word against me, but you expect me to act differently? It is hypocritical, Godric."

"It is what I need you to do to keep you safe," Godric responded. "Amelia, I have no desire to argue with you over this. It has been a trying few hours and I would rather spend the rest of the evening in your company without snapping at each other's throats."

"So would I," Amelia said, "but I am pretty annoyed, Godric."

Before Godric could say anything else, there was another knock at the door. This one was much more hesitant than Eric's knock. Godric sighed, not wishing to be disrupted while he was speaking with Amelia, but it seemed that he would need to relent for a few moments.

Opening the door, Amelia saw Sookie stood there, still dressed in her pink summer dress. "Sorry to bother you," she said in her sweet accent. "Do you think we can maybe chat? I know the sun will be up soon."

"It's fine," Amelia said. "We'll head down to the bar."

"Great," Sookie smiled.

Amelia turned to look to Godric. "I'll be back later."

"Should I wait up?" Godric asked, hands behind his back as Amelia shrugged.

"You clearly don't need my permission, do what you want," Amelia snapped, knowing she was being unreasonable as she closed the door and walked away with Sookie, leaving Godric stood there with an un-amused expression on his face.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	34. Chapter 34

Sookie sipped on her glass of whatever it was Amelia had ordered for her. She had insisted on ordering a cocktail, claiming that she needed a stiff drink. Sookie knew what people around them were thinking. Well, they were not people. The majority of them were vampires. Some had human companions, while others had human donors in their laps, their fangs latched to their necks. Amelia had paid no attention to them, heading straight to two empty seats at the bar. Slipping onto the stool, she tossed her hair over her shoulder as she ordered two virgin mojitos for her and Sookie.

"You know," Sookie finally said, daring to broach the topic. "I don't need to read your mind to know that you're angry."

Amelia shook her head and bit down on her lip. "Do you get like it with Bill?" Amelia wondered. "Does he ever just wind you up so much that you feel like you need a big argument? Like…like he's just too controlling and too protective?"

Sookie scoffed. "I think everyone feels like that in a relationship with a vampire," she said. "Bill sometimes can be quite overbearing. I need my space to breath and…well…sometimes it feels like I don't have that. Never mind the fact he is overly protective."

"That's the problem," Amelia said. "He does stuff for me and he won't even let me do the same."

"So what was the argument about, if you don't mind me asking?" Sookie wondered, taking another sip through her straw as Amelia swirled her drink in her glass, biting down on her bottom lip as her lips quirked up for a moment.

"It's so silly," Amelia admitted, a hollow laugh escaping her. "If I was an outsider looking in then I would probably laugh at how ridiculous it is, but after everything that has happened today, it feels justified."

"Most arguments, when we look back at them, are probably slightly over reactive."

"It was…well…when Eric took me back to the suite after Nan had pissed me off, he said these things that made me start thinking," Amelia said. "He said that Godric didn't need me getting involved in his arguments and fighting his battles for him. He was looking out for Godric, I guess, but he doesn't like me. He's scared that I am going to hurt his maker, maybe not intentionally, but everything that has happened to Godric recently has been because of me."

Sookie nodded her head. "I get that," she said. "Some of us just appear to be magnets for trouble."

Amelia chuckled and nodded, finally taking a sip of her drink. "Anyway, Godric walked in an he was angry with Eric. I managed to persuade him to calm down. Eric is just looking out for Godric and I know that. Deep down, I know that, but then Godric told me that I shouldn't have gotten involve in an argument with Nan."

Sookie snorted then. "It's difficult to avoid an argument with that woman."

"I totally agree," Amelia said. "But then it turned into this argument about how he was being hypocritical. He can jump into an argument in my defence, but I can't do the same for him…like I'm not strong enough…like I'm too weak."

Sookie shook her head, placing her glass down onto the counter of the bar. "I don't think it is that," she said to her.

"Then what is it?"

"Only he will know that," Sookie said. "But I doubt he sees you as weak. I think he just wants to protect you. He doesn't want to see you get yourself into trouble because of him."

"I know," Amelia nodded her head. "I know that, really, I do, but I just don't like it. I don't like being expected to sit there and remain silent when something wrong is happening. I had to do it for years at home and I can't…I knew what Nan was saying was wrong, but I was angry because she doesn't know Godric. She doesn't know the real him."

"I think you need to talk to him," Sookie said honestly.

"I know," Amelia said and then waved a hand. "Anyway, why did you ask me for a drink?"

"Oh," Sookie said and laced her hands together on her lap. "I was just wondering if you…well…you know how when we drink their blood we have these weird dreams…like…"

"I know," Amelia said with a nod.

"Well, Eric tricked me into drinking his after the explosion," Sookie said and Amelia's eyes widened with surprise, wondering why Eric would do such a thing. "I have no idea what he wants with me, but he tricked me into drinking it so he knew my emotions and had a bond with him. It's weird."

"So you're scared about having sex dreams about Eric?" Amelia checked.

Sookie blushed. "Yeah," she admitted. "Do you know if there is any way that they can be repressed?"

"Sorry," Amelia said. "I really have no idea. I guess it probably depends on how much blood you drank. When I drank some from Will years ago…it was a week, maybe two."

"I see," Sookie muttered.

"I know they are annoying," Amelia promised her. "At the time they are great, but then when you wake up and see them, well, it can be weird and slightly awkward, but I doubt they will last too long."

"I just don't want one about Eric," Sookie muttered and Amelia chuckled.

"I get that," she said. "I mean, he is pretty hot until you get to know him."

"I'm hurt."

Amelia almost jumped out of her seat as she heard the vampire behind her. She turned her head to the side as he moved to stand in front of the two women, hands stuffed into his jean pockets. He looked between them, a brow arched on his forehead as he wondered what the pair of them had been discussing before his name had come up.

"Oh, I bet you are," Amelia said. "So what is this I hear about you forcing Sookie to drink your blood."

"Hmm," Eric smirked. "I think that is a matter best discussed between Sookie and I."

Amelia rolled her eyes at hearing him before slipping from the stool. "Can I have a minute, Eric?"

"I have a donor booked in five."

"I said I only want one," Amelia said and moved her hand to his forearm, taking hold of it as she nodded to Sookie and dragged Eric to the corner of the bar, folding her arms over her chest and looking up to him. "Whatever you have planned, just don't hurt Sookie."

Eric arched a brow. "Why do you assume I intend to hurt her?"

"Then why did you get her to drink your blood?"

Eric shook his head. "Have you ever thought that I might be trying to help her?"

"How?"

"That is a discussion for her when the time comes," Eric said, wondering if she could hear them or read Amelia's mind. He sincerely hoped not. He looked back to Amelia and changed the topic. "Why are you not with Godric?"

"We had an argument," Amelia said. "And before you say anything, I am not condoning what you did earlier, but…I get it, okay? I get why you did it and I think Godric did too."

"I meant what I said."

"I don't doubt it," Amelia said, hands held up in defence at his aggressive tone. "But I don't want to fight with you, Eric. I love Godric and he loves me…and I know you see me as someone who could hurt him, but I'm hoping that, from now on, there is nothing else."

Eric shook his head. "There will always be something else," he told her. "You attract trouble."

"And vampires don't?" Amelia responded. "I'm not getting into another argument with you, Eric, but I don't want you to take anything out on Godric. He needs you and you need him. I am not coming between that."

Eric said nothing then and Amelia wondered if she had managed to silence him. Perhaps he would finally accept her position?

"I will always protect him," Eric finally settled on saying.

"I would expect nothing less," Amelia assured him back.

Eric huffed and then left. She watched him go, arms folding over her chest and she wondered if she would ever get along with Eric.

…

Three mojitos later, Amelia and Sookie agreed to return to their rooms. Amelia knew that she had to face the music sooner or later. Entering the suite, she saw the bedroom door was open. She kicked her shoes off her feet and moved through the open door in time to see Godric leave the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist and hanging low on his hips.

"I did not expect you back so soon," Godric told her, his tone even and seemingly detached from emotion.

"I think Sookie was tired," Amelia said and padded through the bedroom, reaching for a towel at the end of the bed. "I need to go for a shower."

"Amelia," Godric spoke her name before she could move any further. "Are we not going to discuss what happened?"

Amelia sighed, her shoulders slumping as she turned around to look at him. "What are we going to discuss?" she wondered of him. "Godric, I don't want to fight, but it seems like if we are going to discuss this then we are going to end up in a fight."

Godric sat down at the end of the bed as Amelia turned to face him, cradling the towel in her hands.

"I have no intention to fight, as I told you earlier," Godric said. "I just want you to understand my position, Amelia. I want you to understand that there might be times when you cannot defend me as you long to."

"And you need to understand that it's just difficult, Godric. It's difficult for me to sit there and listen to people talk about you as they do. I have spent my entire life being silent and being too scared to speak up for what I think is right or what I think is wrong. I don't want to do that anymore, Godric."

"Amelia, I know," Godric told her.

"Do you?" Amelia asked from him. "Godric, I used to have to sit silently and listen to my father and ex talk shit about people and I couldn't do anything about it because I was scared of them. I shouldn't have been and I know that now, but I am not that same person. I'm different. But then you realise how hypocritical it is, right? You can jump to my defence, but the one time I dare to jump to yours, I end up in an argument with you."

Godric pursed his lips as he listened to her, admitting that he understood her point of view, but he just needed her to understand his. He wanted her to realise that it was necessary in certain instances.

"And I get where you are coming from, Godric," Amelia said. "I get that you want to protect me and I know that vampires are much more dangerous than humans. I see that now and I get your point. It's just…I want to be able to defend you as you defend me. I love you, Godric, and I don't like the idea of people talking about you as they do."

Godric nodded and held his hand out to her. He half expected her to walk away, but she moved to him, tossing the towel onto the chair in the corner. Slipping her fingers into his, Godric moved his other hand down to her dangling one, holding both of her hands in his.

"I know," Godric told her, his voice soft and low. "I know what you are saying, Amelia. I understand."

"And I understand what you are saying," Amelia assured him. "I get it, Godric."

"Then is that over?" Godric enquired. "Can we stop arguing now?"

Amelia chuckled and nodded her head. "I think I would like that."

"Good," Godric said and he moved with vampire speed, pushing himself to his feet as he grabbed hold of Amelia, hauling her up his body until her legs wrapped around his waist and she had her arms wrapped around his neck, shrieking at the movement. "Because if you are having a shower then I intend to join you."

"But you just had a shower," Amelia said and Godric smirked, stretching his neck to press his lips to hers.

"Don't worry," Godric promised her. "I think I will enjoy this second one much more."

…..

A/N: A shorter filler chapter before moving onto the next bit of action. Do let me know what you think!


	35. Chapter 35

Six Months Later

It had been six months since the incident involving the Fellowship of the Sun and Godric had done his best to make things return to normality. He had tried to keep himself out of trouble, finding his life to be particularly quiet ever since he had relinquished his position as Sheriff. Well, he had been forced to give it up, but he didn't mind so much. He enjoyed the peace and quiet. He would spend his days resting and then in the evening he was free. He did not need to patrol the area. He did not need to ensure anyone's safety. He hadn't felt freedom like it in a long time.

Standing in the kitchen, he sprinkled some oregano into the pan, sniffing and finding nothing about the smell particularly enticing. Nevertheless, the recipe had said he needed oregano. He had been following it to the letter, not once missing a step. He hummed under his breath appreciatively as he heard the door to the house open. He heard her toss her keys down onto the sideboard in the hallway before dropping her bags by the door, as she always did. She sniffed loudly before sighing in content, moving into the kitchen.

"You know," she drawled to him, moving to wrap her arms around his neck as she stood behind him, "I could get used to this."

"As could I," Godric responded, turning his head over his shoulder to kiss her as she stood on her toes. Her lips pressed to his and Godric smiled gently against her touch.

She pulled back after a second and stood by his side, peering down onto the hob. "What are you making?"

"Beef ravioli in a pasta sauce," Godric said to her and Amelia's eyes widened as she looked down to the sauce.

"You made it all from scratch?" she wondered from him.

"I did," Godric said. "I must admit that having vampire speed can be helpful for certain things. It does speed up the cooking process."

Amelia chuckled then and turned around, leaning against the worktop so that she could face Godric. She folded her arms over her waist, crumpling the white blouse she wore tucked into her dark jeans.

"How was your day?" Godric asked from her.

"Good," Amelia nodded. "We're still studying, but I have been assigned a school to go and teach at next semester which is pretty exciting. It's a high school about half an hour from here and I'm working in the English Literature department."

"That sounds exciting," Godric said.

"And terrifying," Amelia responded with a scoff. "Anyway, I have the night off if you feel like doing something…unless you have plans?"

"I have no plans," Godric said, stirring the sauce and Amelia bit down on her lip and looked down to the floor for a second. She let out a shaky breath before nodding, knowing what she was doing was for Godric's own good. She was concerned about him. She was always concerned about him.

"Godric," Amelia began and he knew from the tone of her voice that she was about to say something serious to him. "You know that I adore you. I mean, I love you more than anything, but I am worried about you."

"Worried for me?" Godric enquired, his brows furrowing as he left the spoon in the pan and looked to her, giving her his full attention as she struggled to hold eye contact. "Why are you worried for me?"

"Because…ever since you gave up your position as Sheriff, I don't know if you…well…what do you do?" Amelia wondered, blurting it out. "I go to bed at eleven and there are another, what, seven hours of darkness? What do you during that time?"

Godric shrugged, hands going down to his hips as he tugged down his grey shirt. "I do many things," Godric assured her. "I go for walks…I meet with Isabel…some nights I prefer not to do anything."

Amelia nodded. "Okay," she said, "but I just don't want you to get bored. Being a Sheriff was like a full time job and now you don't have that. I don't want you to get bored and do something rash like you did before. I don't want your mind to go back to that place."

Godric nodded his head, knowing why Amelia was concerned about him. He understood entirely. He moved his hand out to hers, lacing her fingers inside of his as he stepped forwards. He moved slowly, bending down slightly to kiss her before pulling back, his free hand holding onto her cheek.

"I will never let my mind wander to that place while I have you," Godric assured her. "You know why I did what I did and every time I think back to it, I realise that it was wrong. It was wrong and it makes me ache to think that I could have gone and left you…not to have this, what we have now. It hurts me to think about that."

Amelia nodded. His answer was good enough for her. She kissed his cheek and squeezed his fingers. "Thank you," she whispered in a gentle tone.

"How long have you been worried?" Godric asked, the back of his hand brushing her hair from her face and behind her shoulder. She chuckled and picked up the spoon to stir the sauce as it began to boil. Godric moved behind her, arms wrapping around her waist to hold her back flush against his chest, his chin going to rest on her shoulder.

"Long enough," Amelia informed him. "As much as I find this ideal, I don't want you to become fed up."

"I like the idea of waking up and knowing that you will walk through that door and back to me," Godric said and Amelia almost rolled her eyes at his cheesy words, but she couldn't. Instead she felt her stomach flip slightly and her breathing shallow. "That makes me happier than anything ever could."

"I like coming back to you too," Amelia said, "especially when you keep cooking me dinner," she added on to try to lighten the mood and Godric chuckled in her ear, kissing her neck softly.

"A part of me wonders how you eat this," Godric told her. "I almost wish that I could understand your joy for food."

"Well, I must admit that when you change me, it will be something I miss."

"If," Godric said. "If I change you."

Amelia rolled her eyes as she took the sauce off the hob and onto the cooling rack, all while Godric still kept his arms around her waist. She turned around in his grip, hands going to hold onto his shoulders as she looked at him with conviction.

"I'm serious, Godric," she said.

"So am I," he responded, equally as stubborn.

"Godric," Amelia complained, squeezing his shoulders. "We both know that eventually you are going to have to make a decision. Time is ticking and the way I feel about you hasn't changed in little over a year."

"And another year will not hurt to wait."

"You are stalling."

"Yes, I am," Godric said, not bothering to deny it.

"And in a year after that? Or a year after that? Godric, I don't want to set a deadline, but I need you to know that we can't wait forever. I am not going to age and look like your mother."

"You have said," Godric told her.

She moved to gently press a hand to his chest. "And whenever I bring it up you always deflect. You never give me a straight answer and you never bother to discuss it in depth."

"Because we both know how it will end up," Godric said. "I do not want to do it and I will delay changing you until the last minute. I…I cannot force this life on you. It still causes me a great amount of fear to think of taking your humanity from you."

"I know," Amelia promised him. "But it gives me fear to think of growing old and then not being able to be with you. You know that."

"I know," Godric echoed back to her. "It still doesn't make it any easier."

"We're going to have to discuss this sooner or later, Godric, and in detail, not just fleeting," Amelia said to him.

"But that is a discussion for another day," Godric informed her. "For tonight, I wish for us to eat and then just spend time in each other's company. You know how much I detest us not agreeing."

Amelia scoffed. "I think that is the point of being a couple, Godric, we have disagreements, but we just work through them. Anyway, I'll let it go for tonight, but we will talk about it soon."

"Of course," Godric nodded his head. "In the meantime…

He trailed off as soon as he heard his phone begin to ring. He sighed and looked down to the caller ID, seeing that it was his child's bar number. He picked the phone up and answered, his hand running down Amelia's arm as he walked past her and through the small kitchen into the living room. He had downsized with the new house. No longer did he have the sleek finished rooms with marble worktops and leather sofas. Instead, he had a house that felt more like a home. There were carpets, oak furniture and large, plush seats.

Sitting down on the sofa, he waited for a response from his son on the other end, instead just hearing commotion from the line.

"Yeah…well deal with it, Ginger!"

Godric recognised the voice of his grandchild. Pamela. He had very little to do with Pam, but he had to admit that he admired her. She seemed to have a lot of sass. He could see why his progeny was taken with her. Of course, their relationship had never truly materialised as Godric had thought it might. They had always been closed, perhaps closer than friends at certain stages, but Eric did not love Pam as Godric loved Amelia. It was not romantic. It was familial.

"Pamela?" Godric questioned.

"Godric," she said and he sensed he now had her full attention. "I need your help."

Godric became alert then, sitting at the edge of the sofa. "What is it?" he asked, wondering why he had not sensed Eric's distress. He assumed Eric was in trouble and that was why she was calling him.

"Eric," Pam spat his name. "I think he is about to do something stupid. He says that Russell Edgington was the one who murdered his family. He saw the crown that his father had…he's convinced that Russell took it after he killed his father. He wants revenge."

"And what has he done?" Godric wondered from her.

"I don't know," Pam said. "He's gone back to Russell's fancy shitty mansion and I couldn't stop him. I think he is going to kill him…or something stupid. I need you to try to convince him to stop. He left about an hour ago."

"If he is already there then I cannot make it in time," Godric said with a shake of his head. "I am fast, but I am not that fast. I need you to prepare to leave Fangtasia and get him to safety."

"Where?"

"I have a house in Norway," Godric said. "Eric knows the details. You take the private jet and you fly there as soon as he returns. I will try to meet you there."

"Got it."

"I would sense if something was wrong, Pamela. Right now, I sense nothing."

"That doesn't fill me with confidence," Pam said with a scoff. "Not until he is back here."

"I know," Godric told her. "Keep me informed, Pamela."

Pam hung up and Godric let out a deep breath before moving to his feet. He walked back into the kitchen to see Amelia finish pouring the sauce over the ravioli. At the look on his face, she pushed the plate to the side and moved forwards. "What is wrong?"

"Eric," Godric told her. "I think he may be in trouble."

"How so?" Amelia wondered.

Godric retold her the story of how Eric's parents had been killed, his entire family wiped out. He had never found the culprit. He had never known who had done that to him, but now he knew. He knew and he was intending to extract his revenge. Amelia bit down on her tongue as Godric looked at her, worry evident in his face as he struggled to control his emotions.

"Can you not get to him?"

"By the time I get there I fear he may have done something foolish," Godric said. "I have told Pam to take him to my safe house in Norway. I am hoping she will call me in the next few minutes to tell me he has returned."

"Then you should go to them," Amelia said and Godric nodded.

"I will," he said. Despite the argument he had with his progeny all those months ago, he still cared deeply for Eric. That would never change and Godric would make sure of it. The love he felt for Eric was pure and everlasting. His progeny angered him, but he would never abandon him.

"Poor Eric," Amelia said.

Godric arched a brow. "I never thought you would say that about Eric."

"He had his family taken from him. I can imagine how that feels," Amelia responded.

Before Godric could even say anything back to her, there was a knock on the door. They froze for a second before Godric moved a hand to her wrist, holding it for a second before releasing it and kissing her on the forehead. Amelia watched him move back into the hallway and open the door.

"Godric."

"James," Godric responded and Amelia frowned. He knew whoever was at the door. "I have to say, this is a pleasant surprise. I usually deal with Nan Flanagan."

"She's busy on her way to Fangtasia to see your progeny," the man named James spoke. "But you would know about that considering you spoke with your grandchild less than ten minutes ago."

Godric chuckled. "You move fast."

"Godric, don't make this difficult for us," the man responded as Amelia remained behind the corner in the kitchen, listening intently to the conversation. "The Magister has gone missing and Eric Northamn is the number one suspect as to where he has gone as he was seen with him last."

"I do not know anything about that," Godric spoke. "Eric does not tell me everything. He has many secrets."

"We need you to come with us, Godric," the man said. "Nan Flanagan wants to speak with you in case we do not find Eric Northman. I think you know more than you are letting on."

"I do not," Godric said. "Nevertheless, I shall come quietly. Give me a moment to fetch my coat."

James chuckled. "Alright," he humoured Godric, knowing that he didn't need a coat.

Amelia moved from behind the door to the hallway, stepping into the kitchen to see Godric walk through the door. He looked to her and sighed. "I believe I may have to ask to postpone our evening together," he said to her, brushing a thumb along her cheekbone. "I am needed in Shreveport."

"I see," Amelia said, knowing that James would be able to hear her. She didn't know what the man looked like, but she suspected she would not find out anytime soon. Instead she gave Godric an inquisitive look and he nodded at her, mouthing Norway to confirm that was still his plan.

"I need you to stay here," Godric urged from her. "I will have Jared come and make sure you are alright."

Amelia almost rolled her eyes at that. "I will be fine, Godric."

She hadn't seen Jared in over six months since Godric had retired from his Sheriff duties. Amelia often kept in contact with the man, wanting him to know she appreciated everything he had done for her.

"Humour me," Godric urged, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I will call you as soon as I discover what is happening."

"Okay," Amelia nodded. "Be safe, Godric."

"I will, my love," Godric said and bent down to kiss her.

He pulled back from her, offering a weak smile before leaving the kitchen and moving into the hallway where James was waiting. Amelia heard a chuckle as she leant against the counters.

"You forgot your coat, Godric," he said.

Amelia rolled her eyes as Godric whispered. "Indeed."

Amelia heard the door close and she shut her eyes firmly, he mind going back to what Eric had said to her. He had been convinced that she was the one who was going to get Godric into trouble. It seemed the tables had turned.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	36. Chapter 36

Amelia had called Godric the following night to see what the situation was. He had informed her that he intended to return home the next night, but he would not be alone. He was bringing Eric and Pam with them after they had found themselves in trouble with the AVL. Nan Flanagan had said that he could have his revenge, but they would deny knowing anything about it.

Sitting at the dining table, Amelia had finished eating her pasta bake for dinner and was currently working on an essay she had to write. Jared, bless his soul, found himself sat in the living room watching some baseball game. Amelia had cooked for him too, making him dinner and offering him cups of tea or coffee whenever she put the kettle on.

It was about eight in the evening when the door opened and Amelia looked up as she heard a drawl sound into the house. Looking to the doorway, she saw Godric enter first, a leather jacket on his shoulders and his white shirt tucked into dark jeans. He tossed his keys into the bowl by the door and saw Amelia sat there, hunched over books, but her eyes focused on him. She burst into a smile and Godric swore that his heart would have melted if it served a purpose.

"I have to say this is nowhere near as nice as your last house," Eric Northman's voice entered Amelia's ears as she rolled her eyes and stood up, moving to Godric.

"It's better than that bar we live in," a female spoke and Amelia recognised her voice.

Godric wrapped his arms around Amelia, bending down to kiss her as Jared stood and remained silent, not knowing what to do.

"Have you been safe?" Godric asked from her.

"Safe as I can be," she shrugged to him. "Jared has been keeping an eye on me."

"Thank you," Godric said and looked to Jared. "I know that I called you with short notice. Thank you for looking out for her."

"You're welcome," Jared said. "It has been no bother at all. Everything has been quiet."

"I am glad to hear it," Godric responded. "Feel free to return home."

"Thanks, Jared," Amelia said as he grabbed his coat and shrugged into it, throwing her a gentle smile and nod before slipping from the house. Looking back to Godric, Amelia could still hear Pam and Eric in the hallway as she arched a brow in the vampire's direction. "I take it you couldn't leave them behind?"

Godric chuckled and squeezed his arms around her tighter. "If only," he mumbled, bending down to kiss her once more.

"I see your little pet is still here."

Amelia rolled her eyes as she pulled back from Godric's lips, peering over his shoulder to see Eric stood there, a smarmy look on his face as Pam stood next to him. His progeny was quite the sight, tall and slender with blonde hair hanging past her shoulders. She had a pale face and defining features, especially with her pouted mouth. Her hands were on her hips as she looked to Amelia.

"She looks like she did on the TV," Pam said to Eric.

"She's more snarky in real life than she comes across on TV," Eric said.

"Hello?" Amelia said, holding a hand up. "I am here."

"And that is still a problem," Eric said and Amelia cocked her head to the side.

"I'm sorry," she said to him, her voice full of dry sarcasm. "Am I the one who has come crying to Godric needing help?"

"I didn't come crying," Eric said.

"No," Amelia said. "I just find it highly ironic after all of those lectures you gave me about being the one to drag him into trouble when, I believe, you are the one who is currently doing that. I mean, I guess the tables have turned."

"You're right," Pam said in a drawl, giving a sideways glance to Eric. "She is snarky."

"And enjoying this too much," Eric said.

Amelia held her thumb and forefinger up, inches apart. "Just a little," she confirmed for him.

He rolled his eyes at hearing her as Godric's lips quirked at their conversation. He didn't need to interrupt. He knew that Amelia could hold her own against Eric. In fact, he was certain that Amelia could hold her own against anyone. She might not be physically strong, but she was certainly feisty. Godric adored that about her.

"So what is the plan?" Amelia wondered. "I take it this Vampire King is after you?"

"You would be correct," Eric said. "My original plan was to use someone of importance, but my maker informed me that it would not be ethical or correct."

"Using Sookie Stackhouse is not an option," Godric informed his progeny. "She is innocent in your scheme."

"She also has fae blood," Eric said.

"No," Godric said once more.

"Excuse me," Amelia said. "I assume you mean that her blood is rare because she can read minds too?"

"Yes," Godric said. "My child wanted to drink her blood with Russell and persuade him to daywalk. The effects of the blood would wear off after moments and Russell would burn with Eric chained to him."

"I need revenge."

"You would die."

"Coming from you?" Eric checked with Godric. "I find that very rich, Godric. I know what you did. I know how you were going to end it all to protect your human. Can you lecture me? My cause is noble."

"Your cause is selfish," Godric said. "Revenge will not make you feel any better, Eric. It will not make you feel anything…and what if death does not bring you the conclusion you need? What if it only allows you peace? What if it gives him peace?"

"It won't," Eric said.

"You do not know that," Godric said. "I will not permit you to do this, Eric. You will find another way to stop Russell, but you will not kill yourself in the process. Do I make myself clear?"

"You can't-"

"-Eric," Godric interrupted, his tone warning him.

Eric seemed to stop arguing then. Instead he said nothing, only snarled slightly and turned away, moving to the staircase and going upstairs, Pam following him as Godric called out to him.

"There are guest rooms down the hall," he said. "I suggest you rest for a while."

Amelia heard the door slam before pointing upstairs. "Did he just storm upstairs like a moody teenager?" she questioned and Godric chuckled, but nodded his head at her.

"I believe he did," he informed her and she rolled her eyes.

"Real mature," she mumbled. "Anyway, what are you going to do? Also, do you think he is going to listen to you? I know Eric, he doesn't seem to like taking orders from anyone."

Godric chuckled at that and shrugged his shoulders. "I will think of a plan," he informed her. "For now, let him stew upstairs with Pam. No doubt I will need to speak with him before the sun rises again. However, for now, I want to spend time with you."

"Aw, you romantic," Amelia said in a teasing tone, leaning up to kiss him. "Well, I need to be in at college for eight tomorrow morning so it is an early night for me, but we have some time left. What do you want to do?"

"I can think of some things," Godric whispered, moving to press his lips to her neck. Amelia laughed at that, but shook her head, pulling back and placing a finger to Godric's lips.

"As much as I would love to," she said in a whisper, "the walls in here aren't soundproof and I don't like the idea of your son and granddaughter listening in on us."

"Such a prude," Godric teased her back and kissed her once more, but then pulled back, taking her hand and leading her to the sofa. Sitting down, he draped an arm over her shoulders as she nestled against his side. "You know…being away from you, even for such a short length of time, is becoming very difficult."

"Really?" Amelia wondered from him.

"Really," he responded. "I woke up and I found myself quite miserable to know that I would not see you."

"You really are soppy," Amelia teased him. "Makes you realise that you can't live without me, huh?"

"I know that I can't," he whispered to her and Amelia felt her stomach flip at that as she dared to raise the subject with him. Spinning onto her knees, she knelt in front of him as Godric raised a hand to cup her cheek, a thumb running down the length of her cheekbone.

"Then you know what we need to do," she said to him and he almost groaned out loud at hearing her. He began to shake his head, but Amelia grabbed his hand from her cheek and squeezed it in her grip. "I am serious, Godric. You keep putting it off and saying that we will talk about it later, but I am not going to change my mind."

"Amelia, you say that now, but I do not know how you will think in another year."

"The same as I do now," she shrugged to him. "Don't you get it? I love you. I want to be with you."

"I cannot damn you," Godric said in a soft voice. "I cannot do that to you."

"I am already damned," she responded in a whisper. "I love you. I think that, if there is a hell for loving vampires, then I am going to it. But I don't care because I don't believe that."

"You are infuriating," Godric said in a whisper.

"But that is why you love me," she teased him back, kissing him on the lips. "What do I have to do to make you see sense? You know that I don't want to wait forever. I am not getting old enough to become your grandmother."

"I know," Godric said to her.

"And you just said that you can't imagine not waking up to me so, news flash, Godric, you don't have to worry about that if you just saw sense and turned me," she informed him and Godric rolled his eyes. "I'm serious."

"And that is the issue," Godric mumbled. "Amelia, I love you. Honestly, I love you more than anything, but this is not a decision to be made overnight."

"I know that," she said. "But it is not a decision you can postpone indefinitely."

"Touché, my love," he said in a whisper.

"I just don't get what more you want," Amelia shrugged. "I am telling you that I want to be with you forever…that I love you…that I want this. What? Do you want to put a ring on my finger before you decide to change me?"

"Yes."

Amelia's eyes widened as she heard him answer without skipping beat. Her mouth gaped as she did her best to comprehend what she had just heard from him. Was he being serious? Was this not some kind of joke? She did her best to comprehend what he had said, but she soon got the message. She held her hands up in defence.

"You…you want to marry me?" she checked with him.

"I admit in vampire tradition marriage is not usual," Godric said to her. "Many of us struggle to be in a relationship committed just to one person, but yes, I would like to marry you. Of course I would like the marry you."

Amelia shook her head then, reaching for Godric's arm as she remained knelt in front of him on the sofa. "Godric, you can't say it like that."

He looked perplexed, brows knitting together and arching on his forehead. "Like what?" he wondered from her.

"Like it is just a matter of fact," she responded to him, her voice slightly higher than usual. "Like it is simple."

He continued to look confused. "Is it not?"

"No!" Amelia shrieked. "Marriage is a big deal."

Godric scoffed then. "So is turning you into a vampire, but you do not act as though it is."

Amelia tried to think of a witty response, but nothing came and so she shrugged with a nod. "Good point," she admitted to him. "But I mean…you would want to marry me?"

"I honestly do not understand why this is so hard for you to believe," Godric informed her, voice honest and optimistic. "Do you not want to marry me?"

"I haven't thought of it," she admitted to him, "but I mean, yeah, one day…I guess. This is all so surreal. I never imagined talking like this about marriage. I mean, I had an arranged marriage so I knew that was never going to be romantic, but this is just very matter of fact."

"And you don't want it to be?"

"I'm fine with it," Amelia said. "I just didn't imagine having this conversation tonight, or any night, to be honest with you."

Godric shrugged. "I do not see why you are so freaked out. I want to make a commitment to make you mine…to have you as mine…my wife."

"Sorry," Amelia said, "are you proposing?"

"Should I not be?"

"I don't know," Amelia said to him, moving to grab hold of his hand. "Godric, it's not that I don't want to marry you. I mean, I do, really. I love you. I think that I just need time to process what we have just discussed. Besides, we don't have a ring and usually we have a ring."

"I see," Godric said and Amelia smiled at his naivety at such a human tradition.

"Besides," Amelia whispered, "if we do get engaged then I don't want it to be when your progeny is upstairs sulking and can hear us. I want it to be just us so that we can celebrate afterwards."

Godric chuckled. "I like the sound of that," he admitted to her.

"Good," Amelia said with a soft smile, moving to peck him on the cheek. "And once again you have distracted me from talking about being turned."

Godric chuckled and moved with haste, pinning Amelia to the sofa as he hovered over her. He moved to kiss her quickly, his lips moulding against hers and he deepened the kiss, allowing Amelia to moan loudly underneath him, one of his hands going to hold onto one of her thighs as his other hand hovered down her neck. It took a few moments before he pulled back and Amelia looked dazed, a smile on her face.

"You're very good at distracting," she whispered and Godric smirked.

"I do my best," he said to her.

"But we are discussing this later," she said to him.

"I wouldn't expect you to drop this," Godric said with a small sigh. "But for now, I am happy not discussing it yet."

"I know that," Amelia scoffed before she heard a knock at the door.

Sighing softly, she felt Godric's weight disappear from her as he moved to the hallway. Amelia sat up, tugging her askew dress down her body before she sat up and wondered what was going on. It was another moment before Godric walked into the living room and Eric and Pam appeared instantly behind him.

"Now this is a welcome committee."

Amelia hesitantly moved to her feet as she heard an unfamiliar voice enter her ears. Godric looked to her, nodding once and urging her to keep still as he held a hand up.

"What are you doing here?" Godric demanded, voice low and full of authority.

"I came here to talk," the man responded and Amelia noted Eric's fangs poking out from the corner of his mouth. "And you are no longer Sheriff of this Area. You have no power over me."

"Perhaps not," Godric said, "but you are in my home, Russell. I will not hesitate to defend myself if you intend to cause trouble."

"You mean harm your little fangbanger?" he wondered and Amelia swore she heard Godric growl. "Where is she anyway? I can smell something sweet…" he sniffed then as he moved into the living room doorway. Godric was quicker than him, moving into the living room and standing in front of Amelia. Russell smirked and Amelia felt her stomach clench at the sight of him. "I suspect that I interrupted something judging from her scent."

"You're interrupting now," Pam declared. "Why are you here?"

"I came to strike a bargain," Russell said.

"What makes you think we would strike a deal with you?" Eric snarled, stepping into the living room.

"Stop being childish," Russell said. "Sit down and listen to me. It might prove beneficial."

Amelia felt Godric's muscle tense under her hand and she squeezed his arm, drawing his gaze to her as he turned his head over his shoulder and nodded, silently promising her that nothing would happen. He wouldn't let it. This was his house and his territory. No one would threaten that.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	37. Chapter 37

Amelia didn't like the idea of Russell Edgington being in her and Godric's home. Godric particularly hated it more. Long gone was Amelia's idea of having an early night. Instead she found herself simply stood by Godric's side as Russell sat on their sofa, seeming to have no single care in the world. Amelia ground her teeth together and hated the idea of this man making himself at home. Eric and Pam were stood to the other side of Amelia and Godric, both of them with their arms folded.

"What do you want?" Godric was the one to ask from him.

He moved his arms from the back of the sofa and leant forwards, hands clasped together. "Revenge," he simply declared. "I want revenge on your child for what he did to Talbot."

"I regret to inform you that you will not have revenge on him," Godric said, "not while I am still here."

Russell chuckled at hearing that and Amelia wondered what he could possible find so entertaining. Did he not know who Godric was? Or was he simply not afraid? Amelia bit down on her tongue, preferring to stay out of this business. She didn't want to find herself getting involved, especially when there were three vampires there to defend Eric, including himself.

"I thought you might say that," Russell said, holding a finger up, "but I have heard a rumour that might settle this debt before I call it in."

"And what rumour is this?" Pam drawled out, hands dropping to her hips.

"That Eric Northman knows someone with fae blood," Russell said and Godric ground his teeth together then, turning his gaze towards his progeny. He wondered how Russell knew that. Had Eric leaked that information? Judging by the look on his child's face, he suspected that had been the case. Godric would have words with Eric when Russell left.

"What does that matter?"

"It matters because if I drink her blood then I can daywalk," Russell said. "So what I want, if Eric Northman here wants to keep his life, is to be taken to the girl. I want to drink her blood. If I can daywalk then I will consider the debt settled."

"No," Godric was the one to speak and Russell looked to the vampire, brow arched on his forehead as Godric remained calm and collected, knowing that he had to be the mature one in this situation. He had to be the one with the power.

"No?" Russell echoed back.

"No," Godric responded again. "We will not tell you who she is."

Russell clucked his tongue then. "I don't think you're entirely understanding how this works."

"I understand perfectly," Godric said and Eric's face turned to one of thunder, but he remained silent, knowing that he should not interrupt his maker. It would not be in his best interests to do that. He was aware of that much. "But we will not give you her name, nor will you murder my progeny."

"You are aware that I am older than you?" Russell checked with Godric. "While your nickname is impressive, I do not doubt that I could go through all of you in here for my revenge…including your little whore."

Godric moved then, reacting with anger as he grabbed hold of Russell, picking him up from the sofa and flinging him against the wall. Russell didn't fight back, instead he remained entertained, a smug look on his face as Godric's fang protruded from his mouth, his breathing heavy.

"So it is true," Russell whispered. "Do you know how many people could use her against you?"

"You will not touch her or my progeny," Godric snarled. "You will get out of my house and you will not come here ever again. Do you understand me?"

"Be careful, Godric of Gaul," Russell taunted him. "She'll be a meal ticket to many vampires if you make enemies."

"Amelia," Godric called out to her. "Please rescind this creature's invitation."

"Russell Edgington, I rescind the invitation to this house."

Godric let go of him and Russell soon found himself forced out of the house as Eric looked on with wonder, the door closing behind Russell. Godric's fangs retracted then and he looked to Amelia, moving over to her and holding onto her cheeks, his forehead pressing to hers as Eric heard him whisper sweet nothings to his human.

"How did he get in here if she could rescind the invitation?"

"I own half of the house and Amelia owns the other half," Godric said. "It was a necessary precaution in case events like this happened, which I had hoped they wouldn't. Nonetheless, it seems clear that we need to talk Eric."

"About what?" Eric wondered.

"How Russell Edington knew that you knew a fae," Godric snapped and moved to stand across from him. "Who did you tell, Eric?"

Eric shrugged and looked nonchalant. "I might have let it slip to a member of Russell's staff," Eric said and Godric snarled again then, anger rising inside of him at his son's stupidity. Pam rolled her eyes and went to perch on the armchair, arms leaning forwards and hands clasped together.

"Well this is just great," Pam said.

"If you would both just let me leave then I could fix this mess. I could kill him."

"And yourself in the process," Godric hissed.

"You really have become a sanctimonious hypocrite, Godric," Eric snapped back and Godric felt rage fill inside of him. Moving to his progeny, he pushed him against the wall, his arms pinning his neck there as Eric's upper lip curled and his fangs threatened to break free.

"You forget who you talk to," Godric said to his child. "Do not make me command you, Eric."

"Then why don't you?"

"Because I thought that you were cleverer than this," Godric snapped and Eric chuckled then, pulling his maker's arm from his neck and he looked to him.

"You want to talk about intelligence?" Eric demanded from Godric. "Okay, let's talk about intelligence, Godric. You continue to live with your human and won't even entertain the idea of changing her. What part of you thinks that is clever? She isn't going to survive in your world, Godric. Someone will kill her eventually."

"She is fine as she is," Godric hissed. "She would not even be in this mess if it wasn't for you."

"Then why don't you let me go and sort this out myself if you blame me?"

"Because I cannot see you get yourself killed!" Godric snapped and Amelia swore she had only heard him this angry before. "You are my child. I do everything in my power to protect you. Do you not see that? Do you not understand? So I could command you to stay in this house and away from Russell Edington and Sookie Stackhouse then so be it."

Godric stood back and held his hands up as Eric scratched his throat.

"But I don't want to command you," Godric said. "I want you to make the right decision. I want you to come to the understanding that we can defeat Russell together…that we can do this together without anyone's death."

Eric said nothing then as Pam looked to him, almost as though she was longing for him to see sense, for him to agree with Godric. Saying nothing further, Godric moved back to Amelia and held his hand out to her. She wondered what he was doing, but one look in his eyes and she knew this was a test. It was a test of Eric's belief in his maker.

"We're going to bed," Godric said. "Make your decision, Eric."

Moving up the steps and into their bedroom, Godric let Amelia close the door as he heard Pam begin to snap at her maker. His lips twitched for a moment at hearing them argue, knowing that Pam would give as good as she could. Looking around the bedroom, Godric saw that Amelia had tided her things away, the dresser now tidy and the wardrobe closed without bursting open.

Sitting on the end of the bed, Godric felt the bed dip next to him as Amelia sat down, wrapping her arm around his and kissing him on the cheek. She rested her head on his shoulder as Godric looked down to her, a soft smile on his face.

"You're upset," she whispered and Godric chuckled.

"I'm apprehensive," he decided on saying.

"He'll see sense," Amelia said. "He is a stubborn buffoon, but he still respects you. What he said down there was the heat of the moment stuff."

"I know," Godric said. "Eric always has been the speak before he thinks type."

"So what do we do?" Amelia asked from him. "How do you intend to stop Russell?"

"Killing him would not bring Eric the peace he needs. Nonetheless, Russell is a threat and cannot be allowed to remain at large. But I cannot let my child to be consumed by guilt. I cannot permit that."

"Then what do you suggest?"

"I would suggest that Eric forgive Russell, but I cannot see that happening."

Amelia scoffed and looked up then, peering to Godric through wide eyes. "No offence, Godric, but if I was Eric then I wouldn't forgive someone who did that either. I don't think that I could forgive someone who hurt someone I loved."

"I know," Godric said. "That would be the more peaceful option."

"Yeah, maybe," Amelia shrugged, "but if someone hurt me, would you want to forgive them? In fact, I don't think you've ever forgiven anyone who has hurt me."

"That is different," Godric muttered and Amelia smiled warmly at him, shaking her head.

"No offence, Godric, but it really isn't," she responded and he sighed, knowing that she had a point. "Listen, I don't think that killing Eric will bring him this great amount of peace that he thinks it will. I do think, however, that it might be the only way of making sure he doesn't hurt Eric."

"Maybe," Godric whispered. "I simply do not like the idea of going against him. He is older than I am…stronger…more powerful."

"That may be true," Amelia said, "but there are three of you, Godric, there is only one of him."

Godric moved to sweep her hair behind her ear as she closed her eyes for a second. It was another second before he bent down and kissed her chastely on the lips for a second. "You are always so optimistic, my love, always so full of hope that I can do what needs to be done."

"Not at all," Amelia said in a gentle whisper. "I just know you."

…

Waking up the following morning on only six hours sleep didn't mean that Amelia was in a particularly good mood. She looked to Godric who was still resting, hands on his stomach and the duvet resting on his waist. Amelia kissed him on the forehead before going, grabbing her satchel and leaving the room. Moving down the stairs, she picked up a banana and an apple, pushing them into her bag before reaching for her car keys.

Moving to the front door, she unlocked it and looked outside to the driveway. She clicked the button on her car key to unlock the vehicle, but she didn't get far. Instead she saw a figure stood at the end of the driveway and she sighed to herself. What was she doing here? Amelia opened the car door and dropped her satchel on the seat as the figure walked up to her.

"Is he here?"

"I assume you mean Eric?" Amelia checked with her.

"I'll assume that's a yes," she responded.

"He told us about his ridiculous plan," Amelia said, hands going to her hips. "Godric told him to forget it. He told him that it was ridiculous."

"And if I said I want to go through with it, would that change his mind?"

Amelia looked confused then, her eyes widening as she struggled to comprehend what was going on. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I want to help Eric." She informed her.

Amelia pinched the bridge of her nose. "You'd best come in Sookie," she said. "So I can get my head around all of this."

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	38. Chapter 38

Amelia didn't entirely understand what Sookie was telling her. She wanted to help Eric. She was offering to help him. Apparently she had gone against Bill. He had warned her against this plan, but she seemed adamant. Amelia didn't mind Sookie. Truth be told, she didn't really know her that well. From what she had seen she was a pleasant enough young woman, but she seemed to attract more trouble than Amelia. Then again, that wasn't difficult to do.

"Why do you want to help him?" Amelia asked.

"Because I do," Sookie shrugged, holding onto her cup of coffee that Amelia had just made for her. Looking to the clock in the kitchen, she frowned. She was currently missing her class. She knew that she was on thin ice after taking time off for the Fellowship business. She bit down on her bottom lip and sighed. She could make the afternoon class instead, but she would have to wake Godric and tell him Sookie was in their house.

And Godric had been busy. He looked so tired. She should let him rest. She knew that.

"No," Amelia said bluntly. "There has to be some other reason. This is Eric."

Sookie shrugged her shoulders. "I just don't think he is as bad as he seems," she said. "I heard he was in trouble and I just wanted to help him."

Amelia frowned, brows knitting together and arching on her forehead. "Do you fancy him?"

"What? No," Sookie said, her nose wrinkling as Amelia held her hands up in defence.

"Just checking," she said. "Listen, Sookie, I don't entirely get why you would be okay with this plan because, as far as I can tell, it is a stupid plan Eric has concocted that Godric doesn't agree with."

"What other way is there?" Sookie asked her, a sense of desperation in her voice. "Russell Edgington is a dangerous vampire. If he can be stopped then I want to help stop him."

"See," Amelia drawled, "that would have been a better answer than saying you wanted to help Eric. Wanting to kill Russell and wanting to help Eric achieve the same outcome, but your motivation is interesting."

"I feel nothing for Eric."

"Impressive," Amelia said, "I almost believed you."

Sookie spluttered on her coffee as Amelia grabbed her cell, placing it into the pocket of her dark jeans. She dropped her satchel on the floor by the door before placing her mug of tea down on the worktop there.

"Listen, Sookie, I have college to get to," Amelia said, knowing that she could go in early, explain why she had missed class and then go to the afternoon session. Then again, maybe she couldn't explain why she had missed class. How did she explain that a murderous vampire was after her boyfriend's child because he had killed his lover as revenge for the killing of his family? She didn't think it would be that simple to explain.

"Of course."

"I am just going to go and wake Godric and tell him you are here, but you will be safe during the day. Feel free to make yourself at home."

"Thank you," Sookie said gratefully.

"No problem," Amelia said and moved up the stairs and back towards the bedroom. Pushing the door open, she saw Godric hadn't even moved. Hands still rested on his stomach, the pale plains of his torso visible from where the duvet had been pushed down.

Amelia moved to kneel on her side of the bed, her hand going to his shoulder. Godric woke in seconds, his eyes opening wide and turning straight to Amelia. Before she could explain, he was sat up straight, hands holding onto her shoulders as he looked her in the eye, a sense of fear apparent in his gaze.

"What is it?" he asked from her. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing," Amelia promised him, hands going to take hold of his and squeeze them tightly. "I am sorry to wake you. Sookie is currently in our kitchen downstairs. She wants to help Eric."

Godric wrinkled his nose and Amelia rolled her eyes.

"I know," she responded to him. "I don't get it either, but I told her to make herself at home until you all wake up tonight. I need to go to college. I can't miss anymore classes…unless you want me to stay?"

"No," Godric said, moving to kiss the back of her hand. "You need to go to college. I am certain that Sookie shall be safe here during the day. Regardless, you should not have to miss classes."

"Okay," Amelia said, slightly relieved. "I'll see you tonight."

"Yes, you will," Godric spoke and kissed her chastely. She moaned once against his lips before pulling back and smiling, Godric's lips arched as he watched her. "Have a good day, my love."

"Love you," Amelia whispered, pecking him once more on the lips.

"I love you too," he responded and watched as she bounced off the bed to her feet and moved out of the bedroom, closing the door behind her. Godric laid back on the bed, hands behind his head as he closed his eyes and knew that sleep wouldn't come easily to him now that he knew Sookie Stackhouse was downstairs.

…

Amelia had wondered if she would return to a peaceful house. Would it be too much to ask just to have Godric, good food and bad TV? Apparently so. Pulling her key from the lock, she heard the arguing before she even stepped in the door. Sighing, she let her bag fall to the floor as she shrugged out of her leather jacket and hung it up on the coat rack. Moving through the hall, her boots clacked on the wooden floor as she moved to the kitchen.

"She has agreed to it, Godric."

"It is too dangerous."

"This is my decision."

"And it is a foolish decision."

"Godric is right. It is a stupid decision."

"Pam, now is not the time."

"When is the time? You have been pushing me away for ages."

Amelia walked into the kitchen and grabbed a glass from the cabinet, filling it with water as she took a sip and Godric looked over to her, an exasperated look on his face as Pam, Eric and Sookie kept arguing. Amelia shrugged, knowing that this was an argument she wanted to stay out of. She wanted no part in this fight. She would agree with Godric, that the plan was foolish, but she would only back him up if he needed her. When it came to Eric, Godric rarely needed her as usually Eric respected his maker. Clearly times had changed.

"This is not going to get us anywhere," Godric declared as Amelia moved to the living area.

Godric was stood by the bay window, hand on his chin as his other arm wrapped around his waist. Sookie was perched on the armchair and Pam and Eric sat on the sofa. Godric forgot his company for a moment as he held his arm out to Amelia, his hand going to the small of her back as he bent down quickly to kiss her.

"Not the welcome home I was hoping for," Amelia mumbled against his lips.

"That would make two of us," Godric said, brushing her hair behind her ear.

"This is my decision, Godric."

"And it is foolish. There are other ways, Eric," Godric informed him. "While I do not entertain the idea of you killing him, I suspect we are out of options, but you shall not kill yourself in the process."

"My plan makes sense," Eric said. "I cannot fight him, Godric. I need to trick him. If that means sacrificing myself then so be it."

"And what if it did not mean that?" Godric enquired. "What if there was another way? A way to trick him and then get yourself out?"

"And what plan would that be?" Pam demanded, hands on hips and clicking her heel against the floor. "Because if he goes outside then who is going to bring him back in without burning to a crisp? Sookie will be too weak if they take her blood."

Godric looked down to Amelia as she peered up at him and sighed. "Is this where you ask for my help?"

"I would not ask if I thought it dangerous," Godric said. "And it is the weekend."

"So I get to kill a vampire at the weekend before going back to college on the Monday? What a story that will be to tell," Amelia said in a sarcastic tone as Godric's lips arched and he wrapped his arm around Amelia, holding her by his side.

"Your human?" Eric asked.

"Do you not trust her?" Godric dared his son to answer.

"I wouldn't say that," Eric responded. "But when would she bring me in? I would need to begin to burn with him to keep him weak."

"So long as she brings you in, I do not care," Godric said. "If this is the plan you insist on going through with then so be it. I do not like it, you know that, but Sookie is her own woman and has agreed to help. I will ensure Edgington does no harm."

"This is foolish," Pam complained.

"This is the only way," Sookie responded. "So when do we do this?"

"Tomorrow," Eric declared. "I need to go and speak with Russell and tell him the plan this evening. I need you to stay here and to stay safe."

"Of course," Godric said and Amelia bit her lip, wondering where Sookie would sleep considering Eric and Pam were using the two spare bedrooms. Amelia looked to Godric and he continued to watch Eric. "I will come with you to Russell."

"Fine," Eric said. "We need to go now though."

"Fine," Godric echoed back and looked down to Amelia. "I'll bring you takeout back."

"Oh, you think I am so easily bought," Amelia teased and Godric smirked, kissing her chastely before hearing Pam make some kind of scoffing noise. He pulled back from Amelia and brushed her cheekbone with his thumb before moving away from her.

…

Amelia had made up the sofa bed for Sookie, apologising profusely that she didn't have a bed. Sookie had said that it was fine and had climbed into the sheets and laid down, watching some late night TV show. Amelia had made her some pancakes, chewing into a couple herself. She left her alone once she had finished the dishes, knowing that Pam would be skulking in her room until Eric returned.

Amelia entered the bedroom and closed the door, changing into her checked pyjamas and turning the TV that sat on the chest of drawers on. She let it play the recording of _Pretty Woman_ as she went about tugging her hair into a ponytail. She sat on the bed and twirled the ring she wore around her neck against her chest, waiting for Godric to come back.

It was about ten when he walked back in, carrying a box in his hands. Amelia smiled as he closed the door behind him and sat down on the bed, hand resting on the mattress to support his weight. "I bought pizza," he commented.

"I can see," Amelia said, "and smell."

"I apologise for the inconvenience and for dragging you into this," Godric said as Amelia pulled back the pizza lid. "But if anyone were to bring Eric back from the sun, you are the only one I would trust who has the capacity to do it."

Amelia felt her chest ache then as she moved to kiss him, holding onto his shoulder for balance as she leant forwards. "That is sweet," she said to him, "considering you know how much I dislike Eric and his smarminess."

Godric smirked. "I know," he said. "However, his plan worked well. Russell Edgington will be with us tomorrow evening."

"At our house?"

"No," Godric said. "I did not want him back here. We are to fly to Shreveport as soon as night falls tomorrow."

"Okay," Amelia said and went to pick up a slice of pizza, chewing on it. "So we do it on Sunday morning then?"

"We do," Godric said to her. "Amelia, I know that this is not idea and I confess myself worried for Eric, but I need you to know that I have to go…I have to help him, but I need you. I need your help."

"Hey," Amelia said, placing the pizza slice down and moving to hold Godric's hand. "I am with you, Godric. I always will be."

"I know," Godric said to her, looking her in the eye as he thought about the conversation that they had to have eventually. He knew what he had to do. It just scared him to admit it out loud. "I know, my love."

Godric went silent then as Amelia burrowed against him and he draped his arm across her shoulders. He watched her pick at the pizza as she watched that film she had insisted on recording. He kissed her on the top of her head as he heard her drift off and he tided up the bedroom, tucking Amelia into the duvet before sitting in the armchair in the corner, picking up the papers from his drawers on his way. He looked down onto them and sighed, knowing that he had to return his will to his lawyers sooner rather than later.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	39. Chapter 39

Amelia was happy to see that Godric was still sleeping soundly that Saturday morning when she woke. She peered over to him, her eyes squinting as she adjusted her vision. He was resting on his side, his bottoms hanging low on his hips and the duvet pushed under his bare arms. She propped herself onto her elbow and watched him sleep for a few moments, knowing how creepy she probably looked. She couldn't help it, though. There was something strangely entrancing about how peaceful he looked.

Moving from the bed, she eventually decided to get dressed for the day. She knew that her sleeping pattern was out of sync with Godric's. Often times she would stay up late with him to try and get as much time together as possible.

Their intention to travel to Shreveport that evening meant that she knew she would have little sleep. If Eric intended to go through with the plan then on Sunday morning he would see the sun with Russell chained to him. Amelia winced at the thought of seeing Edgington again. There was something about that man that put her on edge.

Grabbing her clothes from the wardrobe, she went to change in the bathroom so as not to disturb Godric. She pulled her skirt up to her waist, tucking in her dark green shirt. Pulling on a pair of tights, she padded over to the sink and began brushing her teeth. She tugged a brush through her hair once she had finished and left her pyjamas in the wash basket in the bathroom.

Wandering downstairs, she went into the study and started up the computer. Making a cup of herbal tea as it loaded, she figured she may as well get some work done before they had to go. The shared study space with Godric was proving to be useful. They both locked their work away in the cabinets and folders, often shutting the door to the study to forget their problems. Amelia placed her cup of herbal tea on the coaster on the desk before slipping into the chair.

Looking for a piece of paper she had been given in the seminar the other day, she moaned at the sight of stacks of paper. But then her brows furrowed. She noticed an A4 red folder that was poking out from the drawer she had just opened. Curiosity got the better of her and she pulled it out, opening it up to see the title. Her eyes widened as she realised what it was. It was Godric's will. She began to close the file, not wanting to get involved in his private business. But then she saw the bottom. It had been dated the previous night. Godric had changed his will.

Biting down on her lip, she wondered why he would do that. Did he really anticipate danger with Eric and Russell? Did he not think that he would survive? Amelia's thoughts began to get the better of her as she slipped the folder away, not caring what was in the contents of the document. Instead she slipped to her feet and grabbed her mug of herbal tea, forgetting about beginning any work that morning.

Wandering back upstairs, she went back to the bedroom and placed her mug of tea on the bedside table. Climbing into the bed fully clothed, she wrapped her arms around Godric's bare torso, pressing her cheek into his back as she felt him shift slightly. He made a soft humming nose before she felt him gather her hands into his.

"I trust it is still early?" Godric whispered, his thumb moving over her knuckles.

"It is for you," Amelia responded. "Go back to sleep."

Godric ignored her and rolled over to his back, his arm moving around her shoulders to keep her nestled against him as he felt her cheek press into the hollow base of his throat. He frowned for a moment as he closed his eyes once more.

"You're dressed," he observed.

"I was going to go and do some work," Amelia commented, "but then I found your will."

"Ah," Godric said, uncertain of what else to say to her as she chewed down on her lip and struggled to keep a check of her emotions, knowing that her hormones were all over the place. "Amelia, I intended to bequeath all of my properties to you, but-"

"-I didn't read it," Amelia interrupted him. "I don't care what is in it, Godric. What I care about is the fact that you dated it last night. You spent last night working on your will so clearly this business with Russell Edgington isn't entirely free from danger, is it?"

Godric ran his hand up and down her shoulder, trying to keep her calm. He should have told her before that he had doubts. He should have told her that nothing had ever been plain sailing for him. Why should it be?

"Amelia, I wanted to update it before we went to meet Russell," Godric said. "While I agree with the plan that has been put in place, that does not mean that I am not concerned. I am always concerned that something could go wrong, especially where Eric is concerned. If he does something to deviate from the plan…something that is reckless…then I will not be able to sit back and watch. He is my child. I would risk myself for him. The will downstairs is simply a contingency, if you shall."

"I don't like the fact that you even think that something might happen," Amelia complained to him.

"Nor do I, my love, but it must be done," Godric said. "I am certain that everything shall go as planned, but I like to prepare for any eventuality."

"Yeah, well, I am not enamoured by that idea," Amelia muttered and Godric chuckled at her petulant attitude, bending down to kiss the top of her head tenderly. Pulling back, he continued to look down at her, a sense of worry coursing through him. What if something bad did happen? What if it happened to him? He had already left Amelia once. He did not think that he could do it again.

"I know," Godric said solemnly, his thoughts plaguing him.

"But I also know that nothing will stop you helping Eric and I am going to help," Amelia declared. "So you need to get some sleep. You also need blood if you are going to be strong enough."

"Hmm," Godric said in agreement, moving his hand down to her hip. "Is that an invitation, my dear?"

"Not while I am wearing this shirt," she said to him. "It was a bargain in the sale and you are not ruining it. You need to sleep first and then blood."

"So bossy," Godric mumbled and Amelia chuckled, sitting on her knees and bending over him, the ends of her hair tickling his torso.

"That's why you love me," she said to him, kissing him chastely. "Get some rest. I am going to go and do some work."

Godric kissed her once more before watching her leave the bedroom and wander off. Pushing his hands behind his head, he closed his eyes as a soft smile took hold of his face.

…

Eric knew instantly what his maker was getting up to. He didn't need his enhanced hearing to listen to the moans. However, Eric knew that they didn't have much time left. The plane was due to leave in the next couple of hours and his maker had spent the past hour of the night in bed with his human. Eric almost snarled at the thought, but he pushed his own thoughts to the back of his mind. The verdict was still out on Amelia Jones. He didn't know if he entirely liked her, but he trusted her. He only trusted her because Godric trusted her.

Opening the door to their bedroom, Eric rested against the doorframe for a moment as he looked at the sight. Amelia was balanced precariously on Godric's lap, her shirt gone from her body and only a skirt protecting her modesty, but even that was almost bunched at her waist. Godric was knelt in front of Amelia, his hands holding her back as his lips remained at her neck, the smear of blood visible and the smell of it causing Eric's nostrils to flare.

It was another moment before Godric pulled back, looking over to Eric as Amelia wrapped her hands into his hair, still loudly panting. She looked down to Godric, wondering why his hips had stopped moving against hers and she frowned. Following his gaze, she almost shrieked as she saw Eric stood in the doorway, arms folded and hip jutting out.

"What the hell?" Amelia snapped at him as Eric chuckled and Godric frowned at him.

"Don't worry," Eric told her as she reached for her duvet and clambered off Godric, his maker not caring about his undressed state. "You have nothing I haven't seen before. Besides, there used to be a time when Godric and I shared."

"Eric," Godric warned his progeny.

"Apologies," Eric said, but Amelia doubted he meant it as she tucked the duvet under her arms and raked a hand through her hair. "But I would have thought you would have locked the door."

"The only lock is on the bathroom," Godric declared. "Usually we don't have guests to interrupt us when we are engaged in sexual activities and I have Amelia moaning my name."

"Ugh," Amelia huffed as Godric's lips curved upwards and she flopped onto her back. "Godric, I do not want him knowing about our sex life."

"Would it unnerve you even more to let you know that I can sometimes feel a different aura when he is having sex with someone?" Eric asked.

Amelia closed her eyes and propped herself onto her elbows. "Seriously?"

"That night before the bomb at the house was very powerful," Eric declared.

"Eric, enough," Godric urged as he saw Amelia turn red. "I am aware that we need to leave soon. We will be ready within half an hour."

"As you say," Eric nodded his head and closed the door behind him, leaving his maker and Amelia alone.

It was only until Godric heard him move down the stairs when he turned to Amelia, peeling the duvet back from her. She fought him and kept herself wrapped up as Godric chuckled and bent down, kissing her squarely on the lips.

"He's ruined the mood," Amelia complained to Godric.

"Eric does have a habit of being able to do that," Godric said to her. "Nonetheless, I don't think you achieved an-"

"-Doesn't matter," Amelia interrupted him. "We should go and shower. You have blood all over you and I probably have it on my neck."

"Fine," Godric said, his hand trailing down her arm. "But I would hate to leave you without pleasure so prepare for a pleasant shower."

Amelia chuckled, her annoyance with Eric clearly wearing off as she kissed him once more and moved her hands to his shoulders. "Well, if you insist," she whispered, "maybe we should make it quick."

"As you wish," Godric responded and moved to grab hold of her into his arms, listening as she squealed and laughed all the way to the shower.

…

Looking around the bar, Amelia sniffed. It smelt like sex and cheap alcohol, which, Godric had told her, was the bar's main selling points. Fangtasia was nothing like Amelia had expected it to be. As soon as they had entered the bar, Bill Compton had been there, claiming that he had been worried about Sookie. Looking around the space as Sookie and Bill spoke in hushed tones, Amelia frowned as soon as she saw a throne opposite a pole.

"Please tell me he doesn't sit there and watch pole dancers," Amelia pleaded with Godric as they stood by a tall table and looked to the stage. Godric smirked and didn't respond, but his face was enough to tell her that was exactly what Eric did.

"Russell should be here soon," Eric said, moving to stand near the couple.

"Sorry," Amelia said, holding a hand up, "I don't know if I should curtsey or bow considering I am in the presence of a King who sits on a throne."

Eric frowned as Godric continued to smirk, slightly entertained as he watched Amelia try to hold her laughter in. Arching his own brow, Eric looked at her with a sign of contempt as she shrugged her shoulders at him.

"You mock when you know so little," he commented and Amelia scoffed.

"I know that normal people tend not to sit on thrones," she informed him.

"She's a pain in the ass, Godric," Eric complained.

"I find her quite charming," Godric responded.

Eric huffed once and moved off to find Pam as Amelia remained stood where she was, turning to look around the bar. Godric moved his arms around her waist, his chin going to rest on her shoulder as he closed his eyes and kissed her neck. Amelia clasped his fingers inside of hers.

"Are you alright?" Amelia asked from him.

"I am well," Godric told her. "I simply want this to be over."

"And what do we do once it is over?" Amelia asked from him. "Do we go back to normal?"

"I think I would like that," Godric said and she turned her head to the side, looking him in the eye as he searched her gaze. He knew what she was going to get at. If things went back to normal then they would have to discuss the possibility of turning her again. Godric knew that he could not evade the conversation forever.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here."

Amelia frowned as she heard Russell Edgington's familiar voice enter the bar. She inhaled a sharp breath as Godric moved to stand in front of her, his hand holding onto hers. Bill moved in front of Sookie, but she soon pushed him out of the way and took her place at the front of the group and next to Eric. Pam remained behind the bar, clearly trying not say something she might regret.

"So you finally agreed to my decision?" Russell checked with Eric.

"Yes," Eric said to Russell, a hand moving through his hair. They all stood there before Sookie took a seat at the chair. "But you know that she is only a human and fairy hybrid. She is the last of her kind, however."

"And how am I supposed to believe you?" Russell asked from him. "How do I know you are not lying to me?"

"Because Bill has tasted her blood for himself," Eric said and everyone looked to Bill as he sat down next to Sookie.

"Is this true? So we have a testimonial from Mr Compton?"

"You do," Bill said and Sookie frowned as she looked at him, knowing that there were in this together. They always would be. Amelia remained silent as she watched Russell and Bill talk, Eric occasionally joining in.

"You drink her blood first and go out first," Russell demaned from Eric who shot him back a smirk.

"I would love to," he declared.

And without much consideration, Eric moved to take hold of Sookie's arm, dragging her across the table until his fangs attached to her wrist. Russell joined in moments later and Godric winced as he heard Sookie scream, the sounds echoing through Fangtasia. Amelia closed her eyes for a moment before shaking her head.

"Enough!" she shouted at the two of them. "You're going to drain them!"

"Eric," Godric commanded his son and he moved back from Sookie, wiping his mouth. Russell pulled back another moment after and Sookie remained draped over the table, clearly weak from the blood taken from her.

Bill helped her to sit up, pulling her into his arms as Amelia looked to Godric and he nodded.

"Out you go," Russell said to Eric, waving his arm in the direction of the door.

He winked as he passed Pam by and he moved down the corridor towards the exit. Amelia watched him on the monitors, the cameras outside showing him stepping into the sun. Russell watched on too, his eyes lighting up as Pam's face remained focused and concerned.

"Fucking hell," Russell said. "It's real."

"What are you waiting for?" Pam asked him. "Go and see."

He moved off then and Amelia and Godric turned to watch him, making sure that he had left Fangtasia before turning their attentions back to the monitor. There was no sound as Eric moved to Russell, grabbing his wrist and chaining him with silver to him. Amelia frowned as the two men collapsed in the car park, the blood clearly not helping them in the daylight.

"How long do we have to wait?" Amelia asked from Godric.

"Russell needs to weaken before you go and drag Eric back in," he told her and she threw her head over her shoulder and saw Bill cradling Sookie to him. "If he still has any strength then I do not know what he might do."

"I thought you said it was safe?" Amelia checked with him.

"It is," Godric promised her. "It will be safe because we will wait until he is weak enough."

The minutes ticked by slowly and Pam never moved, her gaze fixed to the monitor. Godric kept hold of Amelia's hand inside of his, looking down to her as she shivered slightly. He ran his free hand down the length of her arm. "Are you cold?"

"Nervous," she simply said. "I know it is simple, but I don't want to mess up."

"You won't," Godric promised her, moving to shrug out of his blazer that he wore. He wrapped it around Amelia, watching her tug her arms into it as he rolled the sleeves to the blue shirt he wore up to his elbows. "It is almost time."

"Okay," Amelia nodded.

"Here's the key," Pam said, sliding the key to the handcuff over the bar. "Don't fuck this up."

"No pressure then," Amelia muttered as Godric moved a hand to the small of her back as she passed him by and moved to the door, opening it wide and stepping into the sunlight.

She squinted for a few moments before looking to the two men on the floor. They were both charring, steam coming off of their bodies. Amelia frowned, the smell revolting as she approached them and Eric managed to lift his arm up.

"Took you long enough," Eric complained to her.

"Ah, Godric's little pet," Russell said. "Be a good little girl and drag me back in there."

"No can do," Amelia said as she unchained Eric from Russell, tossing the key to the side as she moved to pick Eric up under his arms.

"Miss Jones," Russell spoke her name and she rolled her eyes as she began to pull Eric back from him. "You either drag me back inside or I swear to you that I will kill everyone you love. Do you think I don't know about you? Do you think I can't find out where your mommy is living? Or that I can't hurt Godric? I am older than him…stronger…he stands no chance against me."

"Do you ever shut up?" Amelia wondered from him and Eric chuckled as she dragged him to the veranda by the entrance.

Before she could drag him any further, there was movement. Using what little strength he had, Russell had moved from the floor, his body still steaming as he grabbed hold of Amelia by the throat, pushing her against the wall as she gasped for breath. His hold was weak and she knew she could push him off with ease, but she had no choice. Eric was already up, grabbing Russell by his collar and throwing him to the floor, almost collapsing as he completed the movement. Russell didn't move again, remaining down and beaten.

Amelia grabbed hold of Eric before he could collapse, her arm around his waist as she helped him back inside, Godric waiting by the door for them. He locked it as soon as they were safe, taking Eric from Amelia and carrying his weight with ease, laying him down on a sofa. He was back in front of Amelia in seconds as she gathered herself, looking her in the eye.

"Did he hurt you?" he demanded from her.

"No," she said. "He was too weak. Eric…he…"

"He needs blood," Godric said. "I should have asked this of you before now, but…"

"It's fine," Amelia said and she held her arm out to Godric. He bit down on the soft skin, seeing as blood trickled down her arm. She knelt in front of Eric and pressed his lips to her skin, feeling the suction from his mouth as he lapped at her blood.

"He hasn't moved," Pam informed the group as she continued to monitor Russell.

Eric moved a hand to Amelia's arm, holding onto it as she looked down to the Viking, thinking about what he had just done. She could have dealt with Russell on her own. She knew that. But she hadn't needed to. Eric had helped her. He had come to stop Russell. Perhaps he wasn't as bad as Amelia had thought?

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	40. Chapter 40

Watching the monitors as the sun slowly set, everyone became acutely aware of what was going on. They had stood and sat in silence, looking on as Russell slowly burned, but he was still breathing. Eric had ground his teeth together, fists clenched by his sides as he did his best to will Russell to death. Godric had watched his progeny, feeling a sense of worry at the sight of him. He didn't know how Russell was hanging in for so long. It had been almost seven hours and with the sun beginning to fade, he was looking likely to remain into the night.

"I need to go," Eric declared. "If this plan isn't going to kill him then I will stake him myself."

"Eric," Godric warned his child.

"What?" Eric snapped, anger coursing through him. "I know you want me to forgive him. I know you want me to move on, but that is never going to happen. It is either him or me, Godric. Deep down you know that. He will not let me live for what I have done and I have no intention of letting him live either."

Sighing, Godric knew that his child was talking sense. He was acutely aware that Eric was being rational which, for Eric, made a complete change. He was usually brash. He didn't plan for anything. Moving his hand to Amelia's back as she remained sat on the barstool, sipping on a cola, Godric nodded. Turning to look to his son as Amelia moved her eyes to Godric, he sighed.

"Do what you must," he spoke in a gentle voice to Eric. "I only worry that it will not bring you peace."

Eric grunted in response as Godric turned his gaze towards Amelia. Arching a brow, he looked to her with a soft expression. "Are you ready to go?"

Amelia frowned. "Are you sure?" she whispered to him and he nodded back.

"Why is it taking so long for him to die?" Sookie piped up having regained her strength. She looked to the TV screens as Bill stood behind her, his hand on the small of her back. "He should be dead by now."

"He will be," Eric said in a small grunt. "Despite all of his faults, he is a stubborn fucker."

Amelia almost scoffed as she heard Eric speak. Saying nothing in response, everyone remained silent. Pam looked to Eric, her eyes wide as she silently pleaded with him not to do anything foolish. She couldn't live with herself if he did. Eric had told her that she needed to be cold and hard, but when it came to her maker, she would never be hard and cold. She loved him far too much, despite his stupidity.

Eric stalked off then, moving towards the back room where the office was located. No one followed after him, but Amelia felt like she had to say something. She didn't know particularly what she was going to say, but she thought a thank you might be apt enough. Looking to Godric, she moved a hand down his arm, holding onto his hand tightly as he glanced down to her. She managed a soft smile and a stern nod, hoping that would be enough to make him wait for a moment. He watched her hop down off the bar stool and follow after Eric, ducking behind the bar and then through the door into the office.

Stepping into the small space, Amelia let the door close behind her. Eric was hunched over his desk, stood up with his back arched, his hands flat on the surface. His breathing seemed heavier than usual and his eyes were hooded.

"Listen," Amelia said and Eric's gaze snapped up to her. She kept hold of his gaze, her arms folding over her chest and crumpling Godric's jacket that she wore over her shirt and skirt. "I just wanted to say thanks for what you did out there. I know you don't entirely like me…but…you didn't have to stand up for me."

Eric shook his head. "You are Godric's," he declared and saw her frown, clearly not seeing herself as a possession. "I did what I had to do."

"Well, thanks," Amelia shrugged and began to turn on her heel to leave, but Eric spoke, keeping her rooted to the spot.

"He won't change you," Eric spoke and Amelia retracted her hand from the door handle, letting her arm dangle back down by her side. Turning to look over to Eric, she saw him watching her intently. He stood up straight and began to move towards her, the motion almost predatory. "You know him. He is stubborn. He does what he thinks is right."

"He…" Amelia trailed off, uncertain of what more she could say.

"He loves you," Eric spoke, his voice certain. "I do not know why and I do not know how, but he does love you. It is his love for you that will ensure he does not change you."

"He loves you," Amelia commented. "He changed you."

"He was a different person to who he is today," Eric responded. "The Godric I knew would not hesitate to rip Russell Edgington's head from his shoulders, but now he talks of peace. He is different and I worry what that might mean for him."

Amelia frowned, wondering where this conversation was going. "Are you trying to get me to leave him again?"

"No," Eric said confidently. "I tried that before and it did not work. What I am trying to tell you is that he loves you far too much to make you suffer the life we have. He does not think it is right. He does not think it is fair."

"So what do you suggest?" Amelia wondered with a shrug. "I'm not going to try and stop convincing him. Besides, I have a say in the matter too, don't I? If I want to be changed then he can't keep trying to change my mind."

"No," Eric drawled, "you're both too bloody stubborn to change. If it keeps going like this then drastic action might be the only way to make him change you."

"Then why are you telling this to me?"

Eric hummed softly for a second as he looked down to her. "Because I care about my maker and my maker cares about you," Eric said. "And if he is too blind to see that he has to change you to stay with you then I worry what he will do. I worry that he will leave you again…leave you to your human life and do something foolish like plan to go and meet the sun again."

"He can't," Amelia said firmly.

"This is Godric," Eric said back to her. "He can do as he pleases. He hasn't entirely been rational in the past when it came to you."

"This isn't my fault," Amelia said to him and Eric scoffed.

"Inadvertently, maybe not," he agreed with her. "But it is his love for you that makes me think he might do something crazy and that scares me and I am sure it scares you."

Amelia bit down on her bottom lip while Eric moved slowly towards her, a hand stretching out to wipe away a speck of dried blood on her cheek. Bending down slightly, his eyes remained focused on her as she continued to watch him, fear coursing through her veins.

"I need you to keep me updated," Eric urged from her. "I need to know what he has planned."

"I am not spying on him," Amelia responded in a soft whisper.

"I am not asking you to spy on him," he responded. "I am asking you to tell me if anything changes. I need to keep him safe and the only way I think I can do that is through you. Despite everything…I need you."

Amelia almost wanted to say something sarcastic back to the Viking vampire, but she had nothing. Instead she nodded once as Eric moved by her, his hand going to hold onto the door handle. As he began to turn it, Amelia whirled around, looking at the back of him.

"You said that drastic action would make him change me," Amelia said to him, but he kept his back to her. "What did you mean?"

He said nothing, his shoulders slumping as he walked out of the room and didn't give Amelia an answer to her question. She remained stood on the spot, staring after him and wondering exactly what was going through Eric's mind.

…

Godric could tell that something was off with Amelia. She had been particularly quiet the entire journey home. He had left Eric to deal with Russell, sensing a change in Amelia once she had finished conversing with Eric. Walking back into their house, Godric saw her yawn as she dropped her bag in the kitchen. It had just turned ten in the evening and she had class the following morning.

"You should get some rest," Godric said to her as she hung her coat up and he stood in the doorway of the kitchen and the hallway, arms folded over his chest and crumpling the shirt he wore. "You need to be up in the morning."

"I know," Amelia responded to him. "What are you going to do?"

"I might come and rest," Godric said to her. "I have been awake for a long time."

"Okay," Amelia said with a nod.

He followed her up the stairs and changed into his pyjama pants as she hung her clothes up in the wardrobe and changed into her own pyjamas. She went to brush her teeth and wash her face before returning to the bedroom, slipping into the duvet and laying down. Godric was already sat up, a book in his fingertips.

"Was that will just because of Russell Edgington?" she suddenly asked him and Godric closed his eyes for a second, knowing where this conversation was going. It was clear that this had been what was on her mind.

"Yes," Godric answered her truthfully. "What has brought this on?"

"Nothing," Amelia lied to Godric.

"Amelia," Godric urged from her in a gentle voice. "What is going on in your mind?"

"Eric," Amelia said his name. "He is worried that you might go off and do something reckless again because you won't change me."

"I see," Godric said. "And my child could not have told me this himself?"

"Don't take this out on him," Amelia defended him. "He is worried, Godric. He doesn't think that you have any plans to change me and turn me into a vampire. I mean…is he right? Do you actually have any notion? We keep having this conversation, but we never get anywhere. We never settle on anything definitively."

"Because we need time," Godric said to her and she sat up then, curling her legs underneath herself to watch him. "Amelia, we have been together for a short period in the life of a vampire."

"And in the life of a human it is long enough," Amelia said to him. "It is long enough for me to know that I want you and if you can't promise me that you want me too then where does that leave us?"

"I will always want you."

"I'm not talking as an eighty year old in a wheelchair," Amelia responded to him, her voice harsh and low. "Besides, if you will always want me then why are you so afraid of turning me?"

Godric inhaled a sharp breath. "In case you do not always want me," he said to her. "You say that you will, Amelia, but you are still human. I could not stand it if you came to resent me in the future."

"I have already told you that I wouldn't," Amelia said to him. "Godric, you need to start treating me like your equal, as someone who can make their own decisions and live with them. If I end up hating being a vampire then I would not blame you. I made the decision to change, you didn't force it upon me."

Godric said nothing back to her then as she closed her eyes and moved, laying down on her side and realising that he was not going to give her an answer straight away. She rolled onto her other side and pulled the duvet up to her chest. Godric watched her back before placing the book down and moving to lay down besides her. He dared to wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her back flat against his front as he reached for her hand.

"When you have finished your degree," Godric began, "we will talk more about this. You deserve to finish it with no interruptions now. I want that for you. When that is over then we will seriously discuss what we will do. Does that satisfy you?"

"It's not about me being satisfied, Godric," Amelia said. "It's about knowing if we can be together. It's about that."

He said nothing to her then, instead he kissed her neck softly and laid his head down, a sight tickling her skin. "Just a little more time, Amelia…just a little more time."

Amelia closed her eyes as he squeezed her hand, realising that would be the best she could ask for. It would only be another few months before they had the discussion. She could wait for then.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	41. Chapter 41

Amelia was unsure where the time went, but ever since Eric had finished his plan with Russell, Godric had been quiet. Amelia wondered if he got bored while she was out in the evenings, but he seemed quite content. She had found him reading novels whenever she got back, sat on the armchair with a book open on his lap. Amelia would get home, dump her bag on the floor and then collapse against Godric's side, letting him wrap his arm around her and urge her to tell him about her day.

What concerned Godric the most was the fact that her graduation was approaching. She had lined up a job in a high school teaching English literature just half an hour away from where they lived. She had everything mapped out. She would spend time in that job and gain experience, but her heart lied elsewhere and she knew what that would mean.

"I would teach at night school," Amelia said to Godric as she ate at her pasta salad one evening, perched on the sofa with Godric next to her. "I mean, I couldn't teach during the day so I would teach at night for as long as I want to. I guess that's the benefit of being a vampire, right? I wouldn't have to do it forever and I could take time off to be with you. I just need a job for a while…settle me into things."

"You can take as long as you want," Godric informed her and she snorted, placing her plate down on the coffee table and then turning to look to him.

"You would say that," she responded in a drawl. "So long as I am teaching during the day then I cannot be a vampire so you don't have to change me."

"That is not fair, Amelia," Godric said to her. "I said that we would have this conversation when you graduate, but if you intend to teach at a high school then we cannot have this conversation until you have finished there."

"I am only going to be there for a short time until I have experience. Besides, none of the night schools were hiring," she shrugged. "Regardless, we will have this discussion sooner rather than later."

"I suspect we will," Godric said to her. "It alarms me that your graduation is coming around very quickly. My only regret is that it is during the day. I would have loved to have come, Amelia…to see you…I am so proud of you."

Amelia felt her cheeks redden as Godric smiled and leaned forwards, his hand going to caress her smooth skin as he kept hold of her cheek. He hummed softly in contentment before leaning forwards, his forehead bowing against hers as he kissed her chastely.

"You are so adorable when you blush," Godric said in a whisper, his breath hitting her cheek as she rolled her eyes at him and pulled back, taking his hand from her and holding it in her grip as she moved to rest against his side. "I am only happy that I can still make you blush after all of this time."

Amelia chuckled, toying with Godric's fingers inside of hers. "Are you worried that the romance has gone from our relationship already?" she teased him and he smirked, leaning his head back against the sofa and closing his eyes as he kept his arm draped over her shoulders, her hand inside of his.

"I believe that the romance will not leave so long as we do not let it," Godric told her. "And I have no intention of letting it go."

"Glad to hear it," Amelia said to him. "Anyway, you know that my mom is coming to my graduation, right? I told her that she could stay here with Jack. He can't come to the graduation either, obviously."

"That is fine," Godric said to her. "I will be waiting for you when you return."

"It all just feels so weird," Amelia whispered, sighing softly. "A few years ago I thought that I was going to be nothing more than someone's wife and now I am here, about to get a degree in something I love and do what I want. It's weird…so weird…and I…I have you too. I have someone who actually loves me for me."

"Always," Godric whispered, bending down to let his lips brush against the top of her head. "Always, my love," he repeated as he looked into the distance, wondering just how he could feel this way after all of his years. It still amazed him. He only hoped that feeling would never go. He couldn't bear it if it did.

….

Marianna had beamed with pride as she watched her daughter graduate. She had sat amongst the throngs of other parents, ignoring them as they whispered, seeming to recognise who she was. Their thoughts were only confirmed when Amelia's name was read out and she walked onto the stage and shook hands with the chancellor and took her degree, stepping off and back to her own seat. Marianna had ignored stares and whispers, instead focusing on her daughter. She had done her best not to let tears fall from her eyes, remembering her own graduation. She remembered being so happy. She remembered only wanting that for her daughter.

Her graduation in New York had been so different to this. Amelia hadn't even managed to smile, not properly. She had posed for photos with her father and mother. Her father had even given her flowers. But she had looked miserable when her father said that she would make a fine wife. Marianna had glared at him, knowing that their daughter deserved more. Now she knew exactly what Amelia wanted.

Once the ceremony had ended, there was a drink's reception back in the department and Marianna had gone with Amelia and met some of her friends, watching as her daughter drank white wine and joked with the people she had met on her course. While some looked at her with disdain, there appeared to be some who had accepted Amelia for who she was, not who her father was.

"Mom?" Amelia spoke, snapping Marianna out of her thoughts as she stood in the corner, her bag on her shoulder and camera in her hands. Amelia adjusted the cap on top of her head and drew up the gown on her shoulders, her plum dress peeking out from underneath it.

"Sorry," Marianna said as Amelia handed her another orange juice. "I was miles away then."

"Are you alright?" Amelia asked from her and Marianna looked over her daughter, seeing for the first time in a long time how happy she was. She looked carefree. She looked untroubled.

"I am perfect," Marianna said.

"Okay," Amelia said, seeing that her mother had a strange look on her face. "Anyway, we should get going soon. I told Godric that we could go out for dinner tonight."

"Of course, yes," Marianna said. "We will have this drink and then I'll drive us back. Are you sure you want us to come with you? Would you not prefer it to be just you and Godric?"

"No," Amelia said quickly, sipping on her wine. "You fly back to California tomorrow night and Godric is going nowhere. I want is to be us four, even Jack. He…he is your boyfriend, mom."

"Don't say that," Marianna said, raking her free hand through her hair. "I am far too old to have a boyfriend."

"No you're not," Amelia said, sounding appalled as she looked to her mother. "Mom, you are not too old to have a boyfriend. Anyway, I have seen how Jack looks at you. He clearly loves you."

"He does," Marianna said. "And maybe one day we might get married…when I divorce your father."

Amelia gulped then and looked down for a moment. "Have the papers come through?"

"My lawyer has filed them," Marianna said. "Anyway, we aren't talking about that today. We are here for you, Amelia, not for him."

"I know," Amelia nodded in agreement, "but you haven't really talked about it before."

Marianna shrugged and finished her drink as Amelia finished hers. Amelia let her mother offer her arm to her. Wrapping her arm into her mother's she walked with her out of the department's common room and through to the corridor, placing their glasses down on a passing table as they went. Their heels clicked and echoed in the corridor as they moved through the college building, their steps slow.

"I'm not a kid, mom," Amelia pointed out to her mother. "You can tell me what is going on."

Marianna smiled sadly. "God knows you're not a child," she commented in a drawl. "No matter how much I wish you were, I know you're not. But…all of the years I was with your father…while I am happy now and I know you are happy…there was a time when you weren't happy. There was a time when I could have done more as your mother. Mothers are supposed to look after their children. They are supposed to keep them safe and I didn't do that. I let your father dictate your life and I regret every minute of it."

"Mom, it is fine," Amelia said with a shrug.

"No, it isn't," Marianna said hastily. "What I did wasn't fine. I shouldn't have stood back and watched. I should have done more and I know that."

"Mom, I know what dad was like," she said to her. "I know that he was controlling and manipulative."

"But I should have been stronger for you."

Amelia shrugged then, uncertain of what to say then. Did she admit that there had been times when she had resented her mother? She had detested it when she had sat by and watched her father control Amelia. She had sat silently and Amelia had looked at her, wondering if she would do anything to help. But then Amelia had grown up and recognised that Marianna must have felt like she was trapped under his thumb as much as Amelia was.

"It's in the past," Amelia said. "I don't want to dwell on it. I want to move forwards…I want us to move forwards."

"So do I," Marianna said. "But whenever I see you looking so happy I just know that I could have done more to make you happier sooner."

"No," Amelia said to her as they stepped outside into the setting sun and towards the car park. "Mom, everything happened for a reason and I am happy now. I'm happy with Godric. I love him…he…he…I want to be with him."

"And I am certain you will be," Marianna said and Amelia stood still, dropping her mother's arm as she looked to her, knowing that there would never be a good time for telling her mother what she wanted.

"Forever," Amelia clarified. "Mom, I want to be with Godric forever. I want him to change me…one day…"

Marianna's eyes widened as she heard that and she bit down on her tongue, trying to form a coherent sentence.

"Amelia…"

"Don't try to talk me out of it," she urged from her mother. "I know what I would be giving up and I know what it means. I have dated two vampires before and I've had time to consider it longer than most people have. I don't want a life without Godric and if that means becoming like him then so be it."

"Amelia, I can't tell you how to live your life," Marianna said to her daughter. "I gave up that right many years ago, but just remember what I told you before."

"I know," Amelia said, "but you have lived your life, mom. You had a kid…grew up…did normal human stuff, but you weren't entirely happy. Why does it matter what happens so long as I am happy?"

"It doesn't," Marianna said, moving to take hold of her daughter's hands inside of hers. "I want you to be happy, Amelia, but I want you to be certain that it is the right decision. I need you to know that."

"I do," Amelia promised her.

"Okay," Marianna said with a soft sigh. "It is your life, Amelia, and I cannot control you. You're not a child anymore."

"I know," Amelia said. "And I get that you are worried, but you have nothing to be concerned about. I love him, mom. I love Godric and I want to be with him. Don't you want that with Jack?"

Marianna shrugged then and bit down on her lip. "We have discussed it," she admitted, "but it scares me, Amelia."

"I get that," Amelia promised her mother. "I mean, it scares me slightly, but the thought of not being with Godric scares me even more."

Marianna nodded at that and moved to envelope her daughter into her arms, holding her tightly as Amelia's cap slowly tipped down her head from the sheer force of her mother's action. Neither of the women said anything, choosing to keep silent for a few minutes and hold onto each other, knowing that things were going to change for both of them.

…

Marianna had watched the way Godric interacted with Amelia when they had returned home. He had smiled softly, his eyes focused on Amelia as he took in her appearance, dressed in her cap and gown that she had to return the following day. He had laughed as she told him how she had been worried about tripping on stage in her heels. He had brushed her hair behind her ear and told her how he had been sad to miss it.

Amelia went up to change into a different dress before they left for dinner and Marianna asked Jack to go and check that she had brought her jacket with her in the suitcase. She had winked at him and he understood what she wanted. She wanted time alone with Godric.

"She was gutted that you couldn't make it," Marianna informed Godric, sitting in the armchair as he remained on the sofa.

"I was also disappointed," Godric responded. "She looked stunning, however. I am very proud of how far she has come."

"As am I," Marianna said with a nod. "Look, Godric, we don't have long before she comes back, but I just want you to know that she told me…she told me that she wants you to change her."

"Ah," Godric whispered.

"And God knows I haven't been much of a mother to her and I can't have any say over what she does now because she is an adult and has her own mind," Marianna said quickly. "But what I want to know is that you promise me…just promise me that you will always look after her…keep her safe."

"I can promise that," Godric said to Marianna. "I have no intention of changing her anytime soon, despite her longing. I want her to enjoy her human life for as long as she can…until…well…until the time is right. I only hope that I will know when that time will be."

"You're reluctant," Marianna observed and Godric's lips rose into a small smile.

"I love Amelia so very much," Godric promised Marianna. "I adore her and want her to be happy, but I feel selfish taking her away from normality."

Marianna nodded then, seeming to understand what she was hearing from Godric as she mused over his comment and then gulped. "She is persistent," Marianna noted. "She won't drop this."

"Oh, I know that," Godric chuckled. "But for now I just want her to be happy as she is."

"I get that," Marianna agreed.

They heard Amelia moving down the stairs then and into the living room, cheeks flushed red as she looked down at the green dress she wore. She tugged on the long sleeves and then glanced over to Godric and her mother. Her feet were bare and her heels in her hand. She dropped them to the floor and smoothed down the flowing skirt of the dress.

"Is this too much?" she wondered from the two of them.

Godric looked at her, his face tender. "You look beautiful."

Amelia smiled to him and pushed a hand through her hair. "You always say that," she reminded him.

"Because it is true," Godric retorted and she chuckled, but before she could ask her mother, there was a knock on the door.

Looking into the hallway, Amelia held a hand up as she turned on her heel and wandered off. "Hold that thought," she called back to the two of them.

Pulling the front door open, Amelia's eyes widened as she looked to the woman stood in front of her. Her brows knitted together and arched on her forehead as she considered what she was seeing.

"Sookie," she spoke her name.

"I need your help," Sookie said, slightly breathless, as if she had been running. She wore a soft blue dress and white shoes, her hair neatly pulled into a ponytail on top of her head.

Amelia sighed and rolled her eyes. "Let me guess," she commented. "Eric's done something."

"How did you know?" Sookie asked.

It was then when Amelia felt Godric behind her, hand on her back as he looked to Sookie. Amelia peered up to Godric and arched a brow.

"Will your progeny ever not cause us hassle?" she asked from him.

"Doubted," Godric muttered and then looked to Sookie. "Come in, Miss Stackhouse and we will talk."

Amelia wanted to groan. There was her evening gone. She let Sookie wander into the house before closing the door and Godric grabbed hold of her by the waist as her back rested gently against the door. Looking down to her, Godric moved a finger under her chin.

"Have you not felt anything?" she wondered.

"I have felt nothing at all from Eric," Godric commented to her. "Whatever he has done, I suspect it has angered Miss Stackhouse."

"Your progeny is a pain in my ass," Amelia muttered.

"As he is mine," Godric told her. "I will make this evening up to you, my love, I promise you."

He bent down and kissed her squarely on the lips before she nodded and took hold of his hand. "Let's go and see what Eric has done this time."

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	42. Chapter 42

Amelia had made Sookie a cup of herbal tea as the young waitress from Bon Temps almost looked so angry that she might pass out. Amelia had told her mother that she had to stay in and find out what was going on with Sookie and Eric. Marianna had been disappointed, but Amelia had told her that it was important to find out what was going on. Marianna and Jack had said that they would go out and give the two of them space.

Godric was sat in the armchair as Amelia handed Sookie a mug of tea.

"Thanks," Sookie said with a forced smile.

"No problem," Amelia said and went to perch on the arm of the armchair next to Godric. She let a hand go to his shoulder, squeezing it softly to reassure him that she was there, whatever it was his progeny had done. "So, Sookie, what has Eric done?"

"He stole my house," Sookie spat, her hands clinging onto the mug of tea. Amelia frowned at that, wondering what she was going on about. Sookie waved a hand and began from the beginning as Godric remained calm, listening to her babbling. "He bought it because my brother sold it, but he only sold it because he thought I was dead. I wasn't. I was in this faery realm where time is real different there because I thought I had been gone a few hours, but it was actually twelve months."

"Whoa," Amelia said, holding a hand up. "A faery realm?"

"I know it sounds mad-"

"-On the contrary," Godric interrupted her. "I had heard of a faery realm, but it is almost impossible to discover. How did you find it?"

"My guardian faery showed up and took me," Sookie said. "I had just found out that Bill had lied to me. He had paid people to attack me so that he could give me his blood…he was working for the Queen to find out about me…about what I am."

"Bill?" Amelia checked.

"Yeah," Sookie spat. "He did that to me and now he is King."

"Bill is King?" Amelia shrieked, too much information going through her mind as she nudged Godric's upper arm. "Did you know about this?"

"I had a message from Isabel about it, but it slipped my mind," Godric said to Amelia, not entirely certain if that was the truth. He did not care what happened in the vampire hierarchy anymore. It was irrelevant to him. He had Amelia safe and sound away from them and that was enough for him. "Anyway, do continue, Miss Stackhouse."

"Anyway, Eric told me what Bill had done," Sookie said. "I told them both to leave me alone and I went to the faery realm. I came back and apparently twelve months have passed and Eric has bought my house after my brother sold it to him."

"I confess," Godric said, "I did not know that you had gone missing, Miss Stackhouse. My conversations with Eric have been lacking over the past year…merely a brief checking in once every six months."

"I know you have your own life out here," Sookie said, "but I didn't know who else to turn to and he is your progeny."

Godric arched a brow with intrigue. "And what is it you wish for me to do?"

"Talk to him," Sookie pleaded with him. "Can you not just talk to him and get him to give me my house back."

"I can command him, but I very rarely will," Godric said. "I can talk to him, but I will not command him."

"But he built a cubby!" Sookie shrieked and Amelia snorted a laugh into her fist as she struggled to hide her entertainment at that piece of news. That most definitely sounded like something that Eric would do. "He built a cubby in my house and now I cannot get him to leave me alone."

"I will talk to him," Godric said to her. "However, I do not know what goes through my progeny's mind. Eric is very much his own person. If he bought your house then there will be a reason behind his motive."

"He claimed he did it to protect me," Sookie said. "He said that he knew I wasn't dead and that I would come back."

"Noble of him," Amelia mumbled and Godric shot a look up to her and she rolled her eyes and moved to her feet. "So what are we doing? Are we flying out to Shreveport tonight or are we going tomorrow night?"

"I have a hotel booked by the airport for a flight tomorrow morning," Sookie said. "I just had to come here and talk to you because I didn't know who else to talk to. Bill has gone…Eric is unreasonable…there is only you who I hoped could give me hope."

"I will see what I can do," Godric promised her. "I will go there tomorrow evening. However, for tonight I have other pressing matters to attend to."

"Oh, yeah, of course," Sookie said and sipped on her tea. "I will get going and leave you be. I'm sorry for dropping in like this…"

"On the contrary, Miss Stackhouse, it is perfectly fine," Godric promised her, humouring her and not telling her the truth. Sookie drained her tea and Amelia took the mug from her, placing it on the worktop. "I will talk to Eric. Do you need us to call you a taxi to your hotel?"

"I have a rental," Sookie said. "Thank you, Godric."

"Don't thank me yet," Godric said coyly and Sookie shrugged.

"You're trying which is more than I can ask," she said and then looked to Amelia who was resting the back of her thighs against the worktop, arms folded over her chest. "Bye, Amelia."

"See you around, Sookie," Amelia waved her off as Godric escorted her to the door and ensured she got to her car safely. He watched her drive off down the street before heading back inside to find Amelia waiting for him in the doorway of the kitchen, hip jutting out as she leant against the doorframe.

"What the hell was that?" she asked from him, still flummoxed. "A faery realm? Eric building a cubby? Did we just enter some different alternate reality?"

Godric smirked at that, a small chuckle eliciting from him as he walked towards her. He rolled his eyes as he took hold of her waist, holding onto her as she ran her hands down his shoulders. "I have no idea what Eric is playing at," Godric admitted to her, "but it is exhausting me just thinking about it. Never mind, Amelia, tonight is not about Eric."

"Kind of feels like it is," she shrugged at him.

"No," Godric said in a soft whisper. "Come on, we are going out. We can make the reservation. Call your mother and have her meet us there."

"You are sure?" she asked.

Bending down, Godric kissed her chastely. "Eric can wait," he said to her. "You, my love, graduated today and I will not have my progeny's actions detract from that."

"I love you, Godric," Amelia said to him, a hand going to his chest. "You know that, don't you?"

Godric chuckled. "I had an incline," he said. "Come on, let's go."

Amelia grabbed her bag and coat, picking her cell up from the table as she called her mother. Godric draped a jacket over her shoulders as she spoke with her mother on the cell. He placed a hand on the small of her back as he guided her to the car and listened to her joke with her mother on the phone. He said nothing as he smiled and he closed the door to the passenger door when she was sat inside. He looked to the sky and his smile fell, his mind going back to Eric for a brief moment as he wondered just what was going on with his progeny.

…

Stepping into Fangtasia, Godric took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to comprehend what he was going to say to his progeny. He was not in the habit of commanding Eric to do anything, but if it gave him a quieter life then he was tempted. He had left Amelia that evening, telling her that he would be back in Dallas in no time.

"Godric."

Looking over to Pam as she stood behind the bar, Godric nodded his head towards her. "Pamela," he greeted her.

"Eric didn't say that you were dropping in," Pam said, hand on a cocked hip as Godric chuckled and shook his head, lips arching upwards slightly.

"He does not know I am here," Godric said to her. "I need to talk with him. Where is he?"

"Out," Pam responded. "Left me to set up for tonight all on my own because he was summoned by our new, great King."

Godric smirked, sitting on a barstool as Pam stopped cleaning glasses and stood across from him. Godric swore that his son's progeny never changed. She was still the same sassy and stubborn Pam. It came as no shock to Godric that Pam always got her own way when it came to Eric.

"I take it you are not a fan, Pamela?" Godric spoke, hands lacing together on top of the bar as Pam snorted.

"Bill Compton has been a pain in my ass for too long," she complained. "Then again, your progeny is also becoming a pain too with his insistent wittering about Sookie Stackhouse."

Godric shrugged. "What is it about Miss Stackhouse that causes Eric to behave so primitively?"

Pam rolled her eyes, both hands then going to her hips as she shot Godric a harsh glare and he held his hands up in defence.

"What?" he wondered from her.

"You can be very hypocritical, you know that?" Pam said to him. "You're the one in love with some boring human from Dallas. What do you see in her?"

"Ah," Godric sighed once. "I see."

"Listen, I am not judging you, but I don't understand you," Pam said to him. "I don't understand either you or Eric, but I am allowed to question your decisions because I really cannot fathom falling in love with some boring human or faery or whatever."

"Perhaps I phrased that badly," Godric admitted to Pam. "I am simply confused, Pam. I want to know why he is acting how he is. Is it because he loves her?"

Pam snorted at that and rolled her eyes. "I don't think so," she admitted to Godric. "I mean, I don't know what goes through his mind recently. He is becoming increasingly insufferable to live with."

"Hmmm," a new voice drawled in the room. "Talking ill of me, Pamela?"

"Nothing I wouldn't say to your face," Pam responded and went to the backroom, leaving Eric with Godric. Sauntering into the room, Eric looked to Godric and arched a brow, clearly intrigued as to why his maker had suddenly appeared.

"You know why I have come, Eric," Godric said to him and Eric chuckled and sat down next to his maker.

"Sookie left a note at her house for me to find," Eric confirmed. "What did she ask from you? Did she ask you to try and appeal to my better nature?"

"Something along those lines," Godric shrugged his shoulders. "I have not ordered you to do anything in years, Eric. I will not begin now, but I do want to know what is going on. What do you know about Miss Stackhouse that makes you act in this manner?"

"I…I don't know," Eric admitted. "I want her, Godric. I am not going to deny that. Physically, I want to make her mine. I am attracted to her."

"Eric, you have been sexually attracted to many people in the past," Godric said to his progeny. "What makes Miss Stackhouse so unique?"

"I can't even answer that," Eric said. "She isn't really…she's just…what was it about Amelia that made you go all gooey?"

Eric almost wanted to throw up in his mouth, if he could, as he saw Godric's expression soften at the mention of his human. Eric ground his teeth together and did his best to comprehend what he was going to hear. He had asked Godric all of this before. He had demanded to know what made her so special. But Eric never thought that he could resonate with it. He never thought that he would understand.

"There are no words, Eric, not truly," Godric informed his son. "Amelia is a unique individual. She is kind, intelligent, beautiful…but there are many people who share those similar traits, yet I did not fall for them. I fell for her. I fell for her humour…her wit…he stubbornness…every time I look at her I wonder why it was her. I wonder why I fell for her, but I cannot answer that question, Eric. I do not know why, all I know is that I did."

"It just makes no sense to me," Eric mumbled.

"I know," Godric said. "It made no sense to me, but I do not think that love has to make sense. All I know is how I feel and how I feel when I look at Amelia and hold her is something I have not felt before in my hundreds of years on this planet."

"Yet you won't turn her," Eric broached and Godric pursed his lips.

"That is a discussion for her and me to have," he said tersely, his voice indicating that they would not be discussing the topic any further. "It is because I love her why I am reluctant. You might understand that one day, my child."

"I hope not," Eric said and moved to his feet. "Anyway, I am happy you stopped by, Godric, but I have to go. Our beloved King has sent me on business."

"You are doing his bidding?"

"Not by choice," Eric muttered.

Godric looked intrigued then. "You sound annoyed. Has Bill angered you?"

Eric snorted and adjusted the leather jacket on his torso. "When hasn't he?" he wondered back. "That's a story for another day. I really do have to go. I have some witches to frighten."

"I see," Godric said. "You are not going to give Miss Stackhouse her home back, are you?"

"Not a chance," Eric called back as he walked away.

Godric rolled his eyes and then looked to the ceiling, wondering why he had ever decided to turn the stubborn Viking in the first place.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	43. Chapter 43

Sitting at the dining table, Amelia frowned as she heard her cell begin to vibrate and saw that Godric was calling her. She picked up, pushing her plate of salad away as she drew a leg up against her chest and pressed the cell to her ear.

"I thought that you were supposed to be on your way home?" she questioned him and heard a soft sigh from the other end of the line.

"I wish that I were, my love," he responded. "I went to speak with Eric and I was on my way home when Pam called me. Apparently Eric is…well…I do not know how to say this in a way which makes sense, but Eric has had his memories wiped from him."

Amelia frowned. "What?" she asked.

"I know that it sounds crazy," Godric promised her. "I have seen him. He has no recollection of who he is. He attacked Pamela. Sookie found him while she was driving home and took him back to her house. I…it is very odd. I don't know what has happened."

"Do you have any idea?" she asked him.

"The only thing that I can think of is the mission that Bill Compton sent him on. He asked him to go and disrupt a coven of witches. I think that one of them could have done this to him," Godric responded. "Witches are very powerful beings and it would make sense. However, I have no idea why Bill would send him to them…unless he thought that this might happen."

Amelia pursed her lips and moved to her feet, walking around the table and picking her plate up. Moving into the kitchen, she placed it on the side, the phone still against her ear. "But why?" she asked him in a soft tone. "Why would Bill send him there?"

"I have no idea," Godric replied. "But I am going to go and see him and try to find the truth out. I have to say, it is very strange having Eric here and him not being his usual snarky self."

"I almost want to fly out and find out what that is like," Amelia said and Godric chuckled at hearing her before he inhaled sharply.

"What I wouldn't give to have you here," he said to her in a gentle voice.

"I can come," she responded. "I don't start work for another few weeks. I have time."

"No," Godric said. "You need time to prepare things and get ready, not run around Shreveport looking after my progeny. I will be able to handle this, Amelia."

"I don't doubt that," she said. "I just don't think that you have to handle it by yourself, Godric. You know couples are there for each other."

"Just talking to you now is enough for me," Godric assured her.

"Still," Amelia said in a soft voice, "I can come out there and be with you. I doubt that I would be much use, but I could just be there. I know how much Eric means to you, Godric. I know how you love him and worry about him."

"I will see to it that he returns to his normal self," Godric promised her. "I just need time, but do not concern yourself with coming out here. I would much prefer you to stay where you are and know that you are safe and content preparing for your job."

"Only if you are certain," Amelia responded, although she was not entirely certain that she herself was certain. She wanted to go out to him. She wanted to be with him. She always wanted to be around Godric. She adored him more than she had ever thought possible and wanted to help him when he needed help. "You know that I am only a short flight away."

"I know," Godric promised her. "I should go, Amelia. I need to go and see Bill before it is too late."

"Call me if you find anything out," she urged from him.

"Of course," he responded. "I love you, Amelia."

"Love you too, Godric," she responded and he hung up.

Sighing to herself, she raked a hand through her hair, tossing it behind her shoulder before resting her fingers on her chin, wondering just what the hell was going on in Shreveport.

…

Standing in King William Compton's office was enough to make Godric's lips quirk for a moment. He often wondered what it might like to be King. He had been given the chance numerous times before, but it had never been an accolade he had wanted. Now he was simply content being himself. The position of Sheriff had been enough for him. Responsibility was not something he wished to be burdened with.

"Godric."

Bill almost sounded shocked to see the former Sheriff in his office, stood with his hands behind his back. Moving around the room, Bill extended his arm out, urging for Godric to take a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"I had not expected to see you," Bill spoke.

"I had not thought to be here, but I need to talk to you," Godric said and Bill sat down behind his desk, lacing his fingers together on the surface as Godric sat back, folding one leg over the other. "You sent Eric to the coven of witches."

"I did," Bill said with a nod of his head. "I need to find him. I hear he has gone missing. I assume that is why you are here."

"Yes," Godric said without missing a beat, knowing that there was something wrong. He knew full well where Eric was. He was hiding in Sookie Stackhouse's home. Specifically, he was in the basement. "I had a call from Pam informing me that he had found himself rather besotted with Sookie Stackhouse and she wanted me to talk to him. I made my way here and have not seen him since."

Bill sighed and ran his hand over his forehead as Godric watched him with intrigue. "Eric Northman…if something has happened to him while he went to that coven then he is a danger. He could be a threat. Who knows what power the witch has over him?"

"Whatever has happened to him can be undone," Godric said. "Where did you send Eric to? I can go and investigate myself."

"She is strong," Bill said. "Her name is Marnie…she practices at the Moon Goddess Emporium. I have been keeping tabs on her for a while and her powers appear to be growing. Whatever control she might have over Eric she could replicate on you."

"I doubt it," Godric said, chin held high. "I intend to find my progeny, William. I hope you know that."

Bill looked at the older vampire with wonder then. His gaze roamed over him and Godric let him. He was not scared of William Compton. He had dealt with stronger and much more evil vampires than him. He simply knew that power seemed to have gone to Bill's head. Either that or the AVL had been onto his back about Eric going missing and being a threat.

"You know what I have to do if I find him," Bill said and Godric stood up, tugging his black jacket down his front as he looked to Bill. "Nan Flanagan wants me to rectify this."

"There are few people on this earth who I would go to great lengths to protect," Godric said. "Those people have my undivided devotion and adoration. I would do anything for them, including stopping those who intend to hurt them."

Bill sighed and shook his head. "You are not Sheriff now, Godric," he spoke.

"Perhaps not," Godric agreed, "but I will always be Death."

Godric turned on his heel then, leaving Bill alone in his office as he swept from the mansion, knowing that he had to keep his progeny safe from William Compton at any given cost.

….

Trying to call Godric had proven to be fruitless. Amelia had cursed him as she stepped into the car park of Fangtasia. Moving from the cab, she wandered into the bar, grateful that the sun was still out. The door was wide open, letting in some air to the underground space. Moving down the steps, she looked around, seeing a blonde woman stood behind the bar.

"Hello?" Amelia said hesitantly, waving to the woman as she adjusted her bag on her shoulder. "I was wondering if you could help me. I am looking for Godric…or Pam?"

"Oh, honey, you don't want to see Pam," the woman said with a wave of her hand before pulling her pink vest top down her skinny frame. She moved around the bar, her heels clacking on the floor before dropping a hand to her hip. "She was in here last night complaining about her face and how it had got messed up. I suggested she use a sunbed, but that didn't work. I don't know what happened to her, but she is not here. No doubt she is somewhere and in a foul mood."

"I see," Amelia responded, not entirely sure what the woman had been talking about.

"And as for Godric, he came in here the other night, but I haven't seen him since," she said.

"Right," Amelia said with a nod of her head. "Well…if you see either of them can you tell them that I am going to go to Sookie Stackhouse's place?"

Amelia had managed to call Sookie in advance and ask her if she could say. Sookie had said that she hadn't seen Godric for a couple of nights, but she had told Amelia that she was more than welcome to come to hers if she wanted to and wait for him to make an appearance.

"Sure," the woman shrugged.

"Thanks," Amelia said and then bit her lip for a moment, "sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Ginger," she responded.

"Well, thanks," she said. "I'm Amelia. It was nice to meet you, Ginger."

"You too, Amy," she responded and Amelia wondered if she had paid any attention to her. She arched her brows on her forehead as she turned to leave, rolling her eyes as she made her way into the setting sun.

….

Walking up to Sookie Stackhouse's home, Godric inhaled a sharp breath. It was her scent. He could smell her. Using vampire speed, he entered the house, closing the door behind him and following her smell. He stood still, eyes widening as he saw her sat on the sofa, Sookie across from her and Eric in the armchair. Amelia looked over to the doorway and managed a timid smile before standing up.

"What are you doing here?" Godric wondered, moving towards her and taking her cheek into his hand. "Are you safe?"

"I am fine," Amelia promised him, her hands running along his upper arms as she smiled. "I just wanted to be here."

"She said that you were dating her," Eric piped up and Amelia turned to look back at him, struggling to believe that was even Eric. He was softer spoken and even his look seemed to have mellowed. "You didn't say that you were courting her."

"I know," Godric said, arm going around Amelia's waist as he looked to his progeny. "I intended to tell you, my child, for I am aware you do not remember Amelia."

"She is nice," Eric said with a nod and Amelia wanted to say something snarky about this entire situation. "I like her. She said that she loves you too."

"I like to think so," Godric managed a smile.

"Are you going to get married?" Eric wondered.

"Hold up there," Amelia said, holding a hand up to slow him down. "Let's just focus on getting your memories back, okay?"

"But if you love her then you should want to be with her…marry her…change her," Eric said and then looked to Sookie. "Isn't that right?"

Sookie held her hands up in defence and moved to her feet. "I'm not sure I should get involved in this," she responded and then looked to Amelia and Godic, pulling her blonde hair over her shoulder. "I have to go to work tomorrow so I need to get an early night. Are you both okay in the guestroom?"

"Yes," Amelia said. "Thank you, Sookie."

"You're welcome," Sookie said and she looked to Eric as he watched her back, his stare intent and his lips quirking. Amelia looked to Godric and he nodded back at her. Eric looked like a love-struck fool. He was besotted with Sookie.

Moving to his feet, Eric nodded. "I should call it a night."

"Vampires don't sleep at night," Amelia said, unable to resist.

"Umm…well…I'm…I'm very tired," Eric said, babbling and seeming nervous as Amelia's eyes widened and she watched him move up the stairs behind Sookie. Gaping, she turned to look to Godric and he chuckled and shrugged.

"No way," she whispered.

"I believe that is what might be called irony," Godric said.

"Yeah," Amelia spat out. "He spent all that time moaning about her and she did the same about him and now…now that he's gone all doe eyed they're both screwing each other?"

"I do not pretend to know what is going on," Godric said. "All I know is that Eric is very different to the man I turned."

"He's not as snarky," Amelia responded. "I'm tempted to plead with you to leave him like this."

Godric laughed at that and moved to take hold of her hand, walking back to the door instead of towards the guestroom. Moving onto the porch, he walked down the steps with her, not particularly wanting to go inside or to bed just yet.

"As much as I can imagine you preferring this version of Eric, I need to help him," Godric said. "I apologise for not being in contact. I had been trailing King Bill to see if he might know anything more than he is letting on. I couldn't find anything on him, but he intends to find Eric and kill him. He sees him as a threat."

"And that's why Sookie has him on lockdown?" Amelia clarified.

"Indeed," Godric nodded. "And then I had to help Pam. She got herself involved with the coven and they cast a spell that left her face disfigured after it backfired. Thankfully, we managed to solve that issue."

"I would have liked to have seen that too," Amelia commented.

Godric chuckled. "So what are you doing here, my love?" he asked from her. "I told you that there was no need to come."

"I know," Amelia sighed softly, "but I wanted to be with you. I was worried."

Godric's expression softened at hearing her speaking in such a manner and her hip bumped against his as he bent down to kiss her chastely while walking. "You are far too pure for me," Godric whispered, "yet you are the only thing I want or need. I believe that might be called irony as well."

"Ugh, you're such a sweet talker," Amelia complained.

"Are you complaining?" Godric asked her.

"Merely wondering how you can manage to charm me as well as you do," she responded and stood still, looking to Godric.

"I hope that I can manage that for many years to come," Godric whispered and bent down to kiss her, his hands moving to hold her hips before he felt hers at the back of his neck. He pulled back after a few moments, leaving her slightly breathless before pressing his forehead to hers. "Perhaps my progeny is right."

"Hmmm…what about?" Amelia asked dreamily, still thinking about the kiss.

"Perhaps I should marry you."

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	44. Chapter 44

Amelia frowned as she pulled back from Godric, a hand going to his chest and resting flat on the planes there. She let her brows knit together and move up her forehead. Shaking her head back and forth, she let her mouth drop open. "You're joking?" she checked with him and Godric frowned at hearing her. "Godric, we are not going to do this because your progeny said it. He has lost his mind, quite literally!"

Godric did chuckle then, but he shook his head. He moved to take her hand from his chest and spun her under his arm, her own arm going over her body as he kept an arm over her shoulders. He continued walking down the dirt track with her by his side until he came to a tree stump. Sitting down, he dragged her down with him, feeling her gaze remain inquisitive on him.

"Do not tell me that you have not thought about it," he said to her.

"Of course I have thought about it," Amelia responded. "I mean, you said that you did want to marry me, but I thought that it was one of those things we just had forgotten about."

Godric chuckled and shook his head, brushing a stray strand of her hair over scalp so that it fell into place. "Amelia, I have not forgotten about it."

"Then what has brought this up?" she asked him. "And please do not say Eric."

"No," Godric said, lips quirking. "My progeny has not brought this on, but it has been in the back of my mind for a long time. We have had many discussions about you turning into one of us. I know that if I turn you then it would be a permanent decision. It would bind you to me for life as my progeny, but what I want, Amelia, is for you to want to bind yourself to me."

Amelia frowned, "but I want you to turn me?" she checked with him. "I want that, Godric. That is my choice."

"In a way, yes it is," Godric said to her, "but before that happens…marrying you…knowing that you, as you are now, a perfect human who I adore more than life itself with your own will, wants me, as I am."

"I would want to marry you even if you turned me, Godric," she assured him. "Nothing would change that."

"Perhaps that is so," Godric informed her, "but I just want you to make that decision as you are now without being able to feel my influence as your maker."

"Godric," Amelia whispered his name, "I love you."

"Than marry me," Godric urged, cupping her cheek and looking her in the eye, unable to stop himself from longing to hear her agree. He needed her more than he cared to admit. He loved Amelia and he knew that was never going to change. He was always going to adore her. He was always going to want her. "Amelia, marry me."

She was silent for a few moments. This wasn't what she had been expecting from Godric when she had flown to Shreveport that evening. She watched him for what seemed like an eternity, studying him and his features. There were times when she forgot that he was only a sixteen year old. He looked older, of course. He looked much older and he acted much older for his years. But then and there, he looked younger than she had ever seen. He looked nervous. He looked apprehensive. But more than anything, he looked at her with full adoration. He looked at her like nothing else mattered.

"You know," Amelia said and Godric knew she wouldn't be able to give him a straight answer, "I get that you vampires struggle with traditions, but you're supposed to go down on one knee…and I don't see a ring…plus you haven't even asked me formally, just pleaded."

Godric's laugh was deep and low as he moved to the floor, kneeling down. "I can only do two of those three requests. I have no ring right now, but, Amelia Jones, will you marry me?"

"Well, two out of three ain't bad," she whispered and moved, draping her arms over his neck, her teeth bared in a wide smile and she nodded with fervour. "But yes, Godric, yes I will marry you."

Godric stood then, sweeping her into his arms and holding her close to him, pulling her off her feet. His lips met hers as she dangled in the air, his arms around her waist and pressing her body to his. She closed her eyes as her hands tangled into his hair and she felt a shiver run down her spin before she managed to wrap her legs around his waist, freeing his hands to hold her under her thighs.

"I love you," Godric said to her, voice earnest. "I love you more than anything, Amelia. I always will."

"I love you too, Godric," she responded, "so much more than you know."

"I think I have an incline," Godric whispered, kissing her again as the moonlight shone down over them and he did his best to remember this moment in his memory.

….

Amelia and Godric had agreed to keep their engagement to themselves until they had sorted out the mess with Eric. Amelia knew that Godric didn't want to tell his progeny until his memories were back. Amelia for her part didn't know if she could handle Eric looking at her with gooey eyes if they told him in his current state. While this Eric was much more agreeable, Amelia had learned how to handle the other one.

"Shit," Amelia said the following night when she approached Sookie's house with Godric holding onto her hand. They had gone for another walk after almost walking in on Eric and Sookie moaning in the house the first time. Godric had frowned and Amelia had almost wanted to go and disrupt them for payback on the number of times Eric had commented on her and Godric's sex life.

"Here we go," Amelia said as Godric rushed off, dropping her hand from his.

His hand was around Bill's throat in a matter of seconds, pushing him against the wall and breaking some of the wood with the sheer force. Amelia raced up, jogging up the steps as Bill snarled and Eric stood with Sookie, standing behind him almost as though he was hiding.

"I warned you," Godric said, voice measured. "I warned you what I would do."

"I'm not here to hurt him," Bill managed to speak and Godric retracted his hand for a second, letting Bill move his fingers to hold his tender skin. "I've been foolish in the past, but I am not foolish to go against Death."

"Then why are you here?" Godric demanded as Amelia finally came to stand next to his side.

"Because I want to help," Bill said. "I made a mistake in sending Eric to the witch. She's…the woman, Marnie, she has been possessed by a witch called Antonia. She wants revenge on vampires after being convicted of being a vampire during the Spanish Inquisition. She intends to cast a spell forcing vampires to meet the sun."

"And she is powerful enough?" Godric asked Bill.

Bill shrugged his shoulders. "I should suspect so," he responded. "I didn't come here to fight with you. I came here to warn you all, knowing that you would be here, despite lying to me."

"Bill-"

"-It's fine, Sookie," Bill interrupted her, eyeing her with caution as Amelia sensed the tension in the air, knowing that something wasn't right. "I don't expect you to try and cover for yourself."

"I am sorry for what you walked in on, my King," Eric said, his voice full of remorse as Amelia frowned and watched him, unable to believe that was the same Eric Northman. "But I…I think I love Miss Stackhouse."

"What?" Amelia hissed and Godric looked to her, a solitary shake of his head enough to tell her not to get involved. She stayed out of it, holding her hands up in defence as the silence became heavy and even more awkward than she could have anticipated. Looking to Sookie, Bill met the young woman's gaze and she looked away.

"Chain yourselves before daybreak," Bill merely spoke. "Tomorrow may be a long day."

And with that he had gone. Looking to Godric, Amelia wondered what was running through his mind as he informed his progeny what they had to do. Bill had dropped the silver chains on the porch and Amelia had looked down to them, wondering just what damage they might do to Godric. She had never seen him hurt with silver before and she didn't relish the image she was about to witness.

"Miss Stackhouse, I would request you stay with him in the basement and ensure he is chained down. I will come and check on him before doing the same myself in the guest bedroom. I apologise if there may be some mess. I will pay to have it cleaned."

"Don't worry about it," Sookie said. "We'll head down now."

"Of course," Godric said as Sookie took Eric's hand and led him into the house, leaving the engaged couple on the porch.

"Are you kidding me?" Amelia demanded from Godric once the newly loved up duo were out of earshot. "Godric, I know I said I preferred this Eric, but I've changed my mind. This is completely weird."

"I agree," Godric said to her, "but his feelings are not entirely misplaced, I fear. He had been expressing certain emotions towards Miss Stackhouse before he lost his memories. Perhaps this experience has enhanced his emotions."

"And Sookie?" Amelia asked. "You remember she came to us complaining about him, right?"

"All too well," he resonated, "but the Eric we see today is not the same Eric. I believe there might have been a change in emotions. I do not begin to question people's feelings, not when my own are so foreign yet endearing."

Amelia rolled her eyes. "You're no good at gossip," she said. "I think I need Pam for that talk. Speaking of, shouldn't you call her and tell her what is going on?"

"Indeed, I shall," Godric said. "I will call Pam and check on Eric before chaining myself down. My darling, I fear I must ask something not entirely pleasant of you this evening. I need you to stay with me during the events this evening. I have much more control than others, but I still…well…I believe I may be in need of you."

Amelia moved to clasp his shoulders, standing on her toes to kiss him. "Anything."

…..

Godric had done everything that he had set out to do, calling Pam and telling her to chain herself down that day. He had checked on Eric and ensured that Sookie had chained him down adequately. He had locked them in the basement, giving an added layer of protection to his progeny.

Moving into the guest bedroom, he had laid down and had Amelia drape the chains over him. She had been hesitant, her movements delicate and slow. Moving the chains all over his torso, she saw his skin begin to steam. Even Godric had limits. He clenched his fists and took deep breaths, eyes closing before he felt the final burn of the silver. He managed to open his eyes as Amelia sat down next to him on the double bed, legs folded and hand holding onto his. His fingers squeezed hers and she looked even more worried than Godric.

He managed a small smile for her. "There is nothing to fear, love," he whispered.

"Godric, your skin is burning and you're in pain," Amelia told him. "And no matter how much you protest, you are taking some of my blood tomorrow."

"I do not think that I will complain," he admitted to her.

"Things must be bad," Amelia whispered, her other hand moving to brush along Godric's forehead, pushing his hair back as she tried to soothe him. "You're not arguing with me."

Godric chuckled at hearing her as she bent down and kissed him chastely.

"I fear that even I have limits," Godric admitted to her.

"Are you sure you will be okay?" she whispered to him.

"I will with you here," Godric promised her. "Believe me, Amelia, throughout my years I have known pain, but nothing ever prepares you for the feeling of silver burning your flesh. This witch best understand that she has waged war against vampires. Come the dark, she will regret it."

"Do you know her? Bill said she had been wronged during the Spanish Inquisition."

Godric's lips arched and he closed his eyes for a second before opening them again. "I might have been alive for centuries, but I do not know everything that has happened in history, my love."

Amelia smiled sadly back to him and shrugged. "Worth asking," she said, her hands still moving through his hair. "So what are you going to do?"

"I suspect I might have to work with Bill, no matter how much I dislike that notion," Godric complained to Amelia. "But, we have a common enemy that we need to fight together."

"So…you're going into…what? Some kind of war?"

"I do not know how many are on this witch's side," Godric said to her. "But I will do all that I can to help Eric."

"I know," Amelia said, squeezing his fingers inside of hers. "You're nothing if not loyal and dedicated. Eric is lucky to have you watching over him. You're like some kind of guardian angel to him. Honestly, without you I doubt he would be alive today. He is far too hot headed."

Godric smirked. "I doubt anyone would see me as a guardian angel, but I appreciate your comments," Godric said to her and Amelia looked to the window she had boarded up hastily to stop any sunlight from coming in. She knew the sun would be coming up by now and Godric could see that she was distracted. He tried to draw her attention back to him, tugging on her hand as he felt a compelling need to move inside of him.

"It is happening," Godric mumbled and Amelia looked back to him. "The day is breaking."

"What can I do?" Amelia asked, seeing the tension in his face. "Godric, what can I do?"

"Distract me," Godric pleaded with her. "Just lay with me and distract me…talk to me…keep me thinking about our life together…the life I am going to build with you once this is over and my progeny is safe…the life we are going to build together when you are my wife and I am your husband."

Amelia felt her stomach flutter at that and she moved down the bed, laying beside Godric and burying her face in the crook of his neck, his nose moving to brush down against her forehead as his lips planted themselves there, kissing her bare skin. Her arm went around his waist, careful not to disturb the chains holding him down.

"Well where do you want me to begin?" Amelia asked him, warm breath tickling his neck. "If you want me to talk about wedding planning you could be in for a short conversation. I have no desire for a big wedding. I never could stomach that idea. I just want it to be us…I mean, vampires don't really get married. Would you want the big wedding?"

"No," Godric said back to her. "I would want Eric and Nora to know, alongside Isabel, but no one else."

"Well, I need to tell my mother," she said. "Can we do that together? I want her to know that this is it because it is, Godric. If we get married then I am not waiting around for you to change me, but we can get into that later."

"I knew that might be, not a condition, per se, but a request," Godric told her. "Believe me, love, I have been thinking about it more and more, especially after everything that has happened. The idea of not being with you or having you taken from me…well…it becomes even more painful with each passing day."

"You should write love letters," Amelia said to him and Godric chuckled.

"My words are only for you," he informed her. "But, regardless, we have no rush to marry. I want it to be everything you want it to be."

"And I want you to have some say," Amelia resonated. "I'm in a relationship with you, Godric. We give and take and decide things together."

"I quite like the sound of that," Godric told her, "almost as much as I like the idea of you being my wife."

"So what am I going to be then?" Amelia wondered. "If I marry you do I have a new surname? Do you even have a surname? I can hardly be Mrs Godric, can I? Do I even want to change my name? I mean…I hate my father's name, but I've never thought about taking a new name. It's weird."

Godric's lips quirked as he heard her speak and ramble on. He entertained her for those few hours, letting her distract him and fill his head with longing of the future.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think and if you think I should keep going through the True Blood seasons with this story?


	45. Chapter 45

Amelia was relieved when the night finally fell once more. She had unchained Godric and had looked to his skin as it remained red and bloodied, bruising and blistering. Godric had been able to handle the pain, much to Amelia's amazement. She never understood how he was able to go through what he did, but she suspected after years of being alive he had grown used to coping with pain. It still amazed Amelia to a certain extent.

"Take some of my blood," she begged of him and he shook his head.

"I do not need any."

"Godric, we have no idea what is going to happen tonight so please take some. You need to be strong," she said to him and he relented after a moment. He moved his hand to her neck, his fingers stroking her skin softly before sweeping her hair to the side. Bending down, he pressed a tender kiss against her skin before he bit down. He felt her wince and cling onto his shoulders before relaxing, letting him drink from her as she straddled his lap.

She pulled away as she heard noises from downstairs and Godric reluctantly moaned, reaching for her neck once more as she placed a hand on his chest to keep him at bay. She frowned as she looked to the door.

"Can you hear that?"

"It is Eric," Godric said. "I am grateful that he is still here. I had feared the worst at one stage…hearing him screaming."

Amelia said nothing. She too had heard Eric screaming at Sookie to let him go, but she suspected that it had been the pain talking. She had wanted to go and see if he was alright, but she had to stay with Godric. He had been muttering more than screaming, begging for the pain to end and for Amelia to make it go away. She had clung onto him and sobbed, never wanting to see him look as he had done the day before.

"I am sure he is going to be fine."

"He is," Godric promised her. "I can feel it. I can also hear the two of them in the bathroom and I believe that was the noise you could hear."

"Gross," Amelia mumbled as Godric wiped away the dried blood from her neck, healing her and retracting his fangs. He managed a small smirk at hearing her before kissing her chastely. "I mean, is Eric going to wake up and be the same asshole he was before? I don't know which option is more appealing, Godric, I got to tell you that."

Godric's lips continued to angle upwards as he listened to her, wondering exactly what was going to happen. She moved from his lap and began to change into a fresh pair of clothes as she continued to hear noises from next door. She rolled her eyes at the moaning and looked to Godric as he chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. Moving to his feet, he moved gingerly, still not entirely confident on his feet. He reached for a fresh shirt and changed, a soft hum echoing through his chest as he felt a strange sense of contentment, despite everything that was going on. He had faith that they would defeat the witch. He knew that it could be done.

"We are not staying here," Amelia said to him. "We are going to go out and…I'd quite like to find dinner too."

"Consider it done," he said to her. "Come on."

Entering Merlotte's, Amelia looked around. Godric had told her that was where Sookie worked and they did food. It was close and Amelia was in no place to complain. She was hungry and would eat anything that looked like it was deep fried and full of calories. She felt people turn their eyes onto them as Amelia did her best not to be bothered. Clearly they didn't get many new faces.

"Welcome to Merlotte's, take a seat and I'll grab you a menu," a red headed woman said, tottering past in high wedges and wearing a white top tucked into a dark skirt. She waved a dismissive hand, carrying a tray of drinks and clearly run off her feet.

Amelia moved towards a booth, slipping into the seat and Godric took the seat opposite her. He sat down and Amelia looked around, shrugging out of her leather jacket while Godric did his best to consider what might happen the following day. Were they going to stop the witch? Was it possible? He knew that by the end of the night they had to have some kind of plan. He didn't think that it would be possible for him to endure another night of pain. But, for now, his fiancée was hungry. His lips quirked at the thought.

"You know," Godric said in a soft voice, "we're technically engaged now. Does that mean I can tell people that you are my fiancée?"

"Steady there," Amelia said, holding a hand up. "I need to tell my mom first, okay? She has to be the first to know."

Godric chuckled. "I can agree with that," he responded.

"And you still need to get me a ring," she said to him, a teasing tone to her voice as she spoke. "No one will think it is a real engagement without a ring."

Godric continued to smile as the waitress returned and asked to take their orders. Clearly, she looked slightly bemused when Godric asked for a Tru Blood, but she reeled off the types they had and he asked for one warmed up while Amelia ordered a burger and diet coke. She looked between the couple and knew the type of relationship they were in. She pursed her lips and looked intrigued, but kept her option to herself, walking off with their order.

"People look at us differently."

"It is a small town, I doubt they get many vampires here," Godric said.

"You're sure it isn't about the age gap?" Amelia worried as the waitress returned with her diet coke and she chewed on the straw.

"What do you mean?"

"I know we talk about you turning me all the time and I'm beginning to wonder if…well…do we look weird? Like, do I look a lot older than you? Is it enough to get people talking?"

"Amelia," Godric sighed.

She shrugged. "It is a valid question," she responded. "I genuinely worry about that kind of stuff. I don't want to go out with you and people look at me like I am some cradle snatcher with a toy boy."

Godric continued to look amused. "I quite like the idea of people thinking of me as your toy boy," he commented and she rolled her eyes at hearing him as he reached for her hand, taking her fingers into his and squeezing them gently, silently reassuring her that everything was going to be okay. He would make sure of it in the end, even if it did mean changing her, because he suspected that would be the only way to keep her.

….

"Oh God," Amelia complained as soon as she saw Bill stood on the porch with Sookie and Eric, the two of them clearly dressed and able to keep their hands off of each for five minutes.

"I think he is here for help," Godric said as he kept Amelia's hand inside of his and moved up the steps to the porch. Looking to the King, Godric kept his gaze even, still not entirely trusting him. "My King," Godric remained courteous. "What is it we can do for you?"

"We have a plan," Bill said, "but we need your help. Antonia is going to be at the graveyard tonight. We intend to meet her and end this. We think she has something planned and has no intention of negotiating with us."

"Do you have backup?"

"I have Eric, Sookie and Pam," Bill said. "Some of my human commandos should be there too and I believe there are a number of vampires who would like revenge on Antonia for what she has done."

"Then consider me a part of the plan," Godric said. "And do you think she will have backup?"

"Her coven will probably be with her," Bill confirmed. "But we need to get moving now before it gets too late."

"Of course," Godric said.

Eric and Sookie moved down the porch, holding hands as Bill walked behind them. Amelia made a move to follow, but Godric grabbed her hand and hauled her back, almost causing her to topple over with the force of his movements. She frowned at him and folded her arms over her chest while looking at him, dropping his hand from hers.

"Is this the part where you tell me I'm not coming but I ignore you and come anyway?" she checked with him and Godric almost wanted to smile at her sass, but he remained deadpan, refusing to give anything away on the matter.

"You are staying here."

"So it is this part," Amelia nodded. "No, I am coming with you. I will stay in the car and stay back, but I am coming."

"I could glamour you."

"Do you want your first big argument before we're even married?" she asked him and moved quickly to kiss him chastely on the lips before moving back to the car with the rest of them, leaving Godric stood there shaking his head, unable to believe that she had just walked around him like he wasn't there.

….

Pulling up to the graveyard, Amelia frowned as everyone climbed from the car. It was quiet and too spooky. It was enough to make Amelia feel a sense of apprehension and worry. Adjusting the collar of his dark blue shirt, Godric slipped from the car as Amelia followed suit, folding her arms over herself as her leather jacket squelched.

"I don't like this," she whispered to Godric, her voice hesitant. "I don't like this one little bit."

"I know," Godric said, letting the others go ahead as he stood still with Amelia, hands on her shoulders. "I need you to stay here and away from danger, Amelia. Please."

"Okay," Amelia agreed, knowing that she would be more of a hindrance than a help in this situation. There would be no chance that she would be able to hep Godric. "I know, Godric…you'd be looking out for me all of the time and I would just get in the way. I accept that so go on."

"Thank you," Godric said and bent down to kiss her gently. "Be safe."

"I should say the same for you," she responded and kissed him once more. Godric looked at her for another moment, tucking her hair behind her ear before whispering into her ear.

"I love you, my darling fiancée," he said.

"I love you too, you hopelessly romantic vampire," she responded and Godric kissed her one final time before turning on his heel and rushing off to catch up with the rest of the group.

Amelia remained stood by the car, pacing up and down the length of the vehicle as she listened for any sign of what was happening. It was roughly five minutes before she heard the yells and the screams. Panting for breath, she struggled to gather herself, her mind was racing and her heart was pounding in her chest. She wanted to run into the commotion. She wanted to go and find Godric instead of feeling so useless stood by the car like a human.

She took deep breaths as the screaming continued, but one scream seemed to get louder. Looking around, Amelia tried to work out which direction it was coming from, but she was struggling. Cursing under her breath, she moved through the fog, looking around for any sign of life, but she couldn't hear anything. Instead, a voice popped up behind her and she screamed loudly as she felt hands grab at her.

"Hiding from the fight, you whoring fang?" it demanded from her.

Amelia had no idea who the man grabbing her was, but she struggled against him as his hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her back flat against his chest.

"I am not a vampire!" Amelia shrieked at him as she moved to elbow him in the stomach. It winded him and that was enough for him to let her go as he coughed and spluttered. Rushing forwards, Amelia looked behind to make sure he wasn't following her before she ran straight into someone else, but this time the damage was done.

Before Amelia could stop, the man had a knife held in front of him and the blade pierced Amelia's skin, going into her stomach. She didn't even scream at the pain. The shock took hold of her as she looked down at the sight of the blade and she shook her head back and forth as the man smirked.

"A fang would say they aren't a fang," he said to her before pulling out a gun and pressing it against her chest.

"No," Amelia wheezed as he pulled the blade from her stomach and she prepared for the sound of the gunshot. But it never came. The sound never came and Amelia looked to see what had happened, but the man in front of her was already on the floor, blood gushing from his throat.

It was then when Godric appeared in front of her, the worry on his face evident as he looked down to her stomach, the sight of the wound enough to make him well up, blood pooling in his eyes.

"Amelia, love," Godric spoke as she placed a hand to her stomach, her face already turning pale. She struggled to stand and Godric was there in an instant, an arm around her waist as he helped her to sit on the ground, keeping her rested against his side. "It's okay, darling. All of it is going to be okay."

"You need my blood," Godric said to her.

"No…" Amelia said. "Godric…I…."

"It will work," Godric promised her, "trust me, darling."

But she was already closing her eyes, her lips parted as Godric urged her to open her eyes. He bit down onto his wrist, but her breathing was too shallow. She wasn't going to take his blood willingly. Godric knew what he had to do. He knew exactly what had to be done, but he was scared. He was scared it wouldn't work. But he was even more scared of losing Amelia.

Moving to hold her against his chest, Godric closed his eyes and inhaled a sharp breath before nodding.

"It's going to be okay, my love," he promised her in a small voice. "I have you."

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	46. Chapter 46

Godric could sense that something was amiss with his son as he continued to feed Amelia his blood, praying that it would be enough. He didn't know how much blood she had lost, but he had hoped it wasn't enough to have any long lasting effects as he fed her his own. This was not how he wanted to turn Amelia. He did not want her to be turned like this, because some human had acted recklessly. If he was going to turn her then it was going to be on their own terms, not because of some foolish, idiotic moron.

"Amelia, darling," Godric continued to coo, longing for her to open her eyes and get back to normal. He wanted her to look at him and smile, tell him that she was going to be okay. He kept her head nestled against his side as his wrist remained at her lips, his blood seeping down into her body as he forced her to drink. "Come on, my love, come on."

It was only as he spoke did he feel her lips on his skin. Looking down to her face, he saw her eyes peer open, her lips moving away from his wrist as she gasped for breath. Godric let out a sharp breath at the sight of her as he tried to soothe her, a hand going to her cheek as his blood dropped down his pale skin and onto her clothes.

"Godric," she whispered his name.

"It's okay, my darling," he promised her, still stroking her cheek, his thumb running along her cheekbone.

"What…I don't feel good," Amelia mumbled.

"I know," Godric told her. "Amelia, I…we…"

"I know," Amelia said in a gentle voice, feeling sleepy as she adjusted her head against Godric, her cheek pressing just beneath his shoulder as his arm remained around her waist, keeping her to him. "I've heard and read enough about how vampires are made to know what might have happened if you've given me your blood."

"I cannot be certain," Godric admitted to her. "I don't know how much blood you lost…if it was enough…even after all my centuries, the process of creating a vampire is not one I have known to be without faults."

"So what?" Amelia wondered, closing her eyes as she kept her hands in her lap. "We…we have to rest, don't we? In case it worked?"

"Yes," Godric responded in a soft whisper. "Amelia, I am so sorry."

She frowned then, managing to lift her head up to look at him. "Why are you sorry? Godric, you didn't stab me. If you didn't come here then I would be dead. From where I am sitting, you have nothing to apologise for so I don't want to hear it."

"I should have made you stay at home."

"You cannot make me do anything," Amelia said, feeling some of her strength come back to her as she frowned and reached for his hand, holding his fingers softly. "Godric, don't you get it? I…we're…if I am changed then this would have happened one day sooner or later. I'm with you and that is all that matters."

"But not like this," Godric said and she wondered if she had heard him sound so upset before, pain lacing his words. "It should have been your choice, Amelia. It shouldn't be like this…so quick…because of someone else…someone taking that choice from you."

"Hey," Amelia said in a soft whisper, managing to smile to him as she moved a hand to his forearm, holding onto it as he continued to cup her cheek. "Listen to me, Godric, everything is going to be okay. We're going to be okay."

"I love you," Godric said to her.

"I love you too," she responded and he bent down, kissing her chastely on the lips.

"I need to dig a hole," he informed her. "Stay here while I get a shovel."

"Not going anywhere," Amelia said to him as he helped her lean back against a tree, shrugging from his jacket and draping it over her shoulders to give her some added warmth. He was gone after a quick brush of her hair behind her ear, rushing off and then returning in seconds, setting to work and digging a hole. Amelia watched him move at vampire speed, a part of her feeling nauseous over what was about to happen.

Once the hole was deep enough, Godric looked to her and jumped from the space.

"If…if I don't change…" she whispered, "won't I die from lack of air?"

"I will not let that happen," Godric promised her. "I will not rest, Amelia. I will remain awake and listen to you. I can…I believe I can still glamour you while you are in this state. Would that make it easier for you?"

"I think so," she replied and Godric nodded with a smile. Kneeling down in front of her, he took hold of her hand and bent forwards against, kissing her softly before his free hand went to hold her cheek, keeping her gaze to his.

"I have you," he promised her.

"I know," she responded.

"Go to sleep, Amelia," he said in a soft tone and he was relieved that it worked, a part of him hoping that the transformation wouldn't take place and that she didn't lose enough blood for that to happen. Her body sagged against the tree and Godric moved to his feet, picking her up delicately and dropping into the hole. Laying her down on the dirt, he began to fill the hole in again, knowing that it wouldn't be long before the sun began to rise. He felt a part of him ache as he watched the dirt cover Amelia, longing for her to be okay. He knew that he couldn't cover them completely, needing to leave some air.

Once he had almost finished, he laid himself down next to her and wrapped her into his arms, the dirt covering the pair of them as he felt her breathing steadily. Godric knew he would not rest for the day, longing for Amelia to wake up her usual self that night.

…..

"What the hell is going on here?"

Godric knew that night must have fallen moments ago as soon as he heard her voice. Pam was stood over them as Godric moved with vampire speed, digging his way out of the shallow ground, hauling Amelia with him. She was still sleeping, her clothes dirtied and bits of dirt falling from her hair as Pam remained stood to the side, arms folded over her chest.

"Amelia, wake up," Godric said and her eyes opened. It was then when he knew it hadn't worked. She hadn't turned. He had given her enough blood to heal her, but not enough to change her as she had not lost enough. Relief took over him as he hauled her into his arms, standing hastily as she struggled to gain her thoughts. His hand bunched into her hair, her cheek pressing against his shoulder as her eyes closed tightly.

"You're okay," Godric told her and Amelia nodded her head, feeling tears falling down her cheek. She wiped them away quickly before Godric could see, not wanting him to know how scared she had been just not to wake up, fear that she would be dead. "You're okay, my love…you're still human…"

"Hello?" Pam spoke, her tone sarcastic. "Am I invisible or what? What is the name of God is going on with Snow White over here?"

"Apologies," Godric said, not bothering to rise to Pam's tone, relief still flowing through him as he kept Amelia in his arms and he looked over to Pam. "Amelia was stabbed last night. I did not know what would happen…how much blood she had lost…if it would be enough to change her. I could not take any chances."

"She's still a human alright," Pam said with a shrug, "if she weren't then she'd be running off for blood by now."

"How did you find us here, Pam?" Godric asked form her.

"They said you didn't come back from here last night so I thought it was worth checking out," Pam said to him. "Turns out I was right and while you've been napping we've got a bigger shit storm. Eric's been taken by Antonia. They think she is going to make her move at the Festival of Tolerance this evening."

"I see," Godric said. "I am coming. What time does it begin?"

"Another hour," Pam said.

"I need to take Amelia to safety and then I shall be there," Godric said. "Where is it?"

"You're in luck," Pam drawled, "the Dorchester Hotel. Keep her in a room while we deal with that bitch."

"I want her nowhere near them."

"I can talk for myself."

"Amelia," Godric said, his tone slight terse as she pulled back and looked at him and he pursed his lips. "Just listen to me, please. I almost lost you last night. Humour me and let me keep you out of this."

Amelia would have huffed, but she nodded once, understanding what he was saying. Godric nodded back and Pam continued to talk.

"There is a hotel across the road from it…not as fancy, but if it is distance you want then it is distance you'll get."

"Fine with me," Godric said. "Now let's go and stop this once and for all."

….

Pacing in the hotel room, Amelia had to admit that Pam was right. It wasn't as nice as the building just across the road. Godric and Pam had gone as soon as she was in the room. Godric had kissed her deeply, the relief still etched on his face and in motion that she was alive. Waiting for them to come back, Amelia continued pacing, an arm around her waist and her other arm dangling by her side. It was only an hour after they had been gone did the door open again and Godric walked in, closely followed by Eric and Pam.

"Thank God," Amelia said in a whisper, rushing over to Godric and wrapping her arms around his neck. Godric held her back, kissing the side of her neck before letting his chin rest on her shoulder. "What happened?"

"Still as needy as ever, I see," Eric spoke and Amelia frowned, pulling away from Godric and looking to him. She frowned as Godric stood by her side, arms folding over his chest.

"Is he back to normal?"

"He has his memories back, yes," Godric informed her and she sighed at hearing that. "Sookie used her powers on him and somehow his memories came back to him. He remembers everything."

"Which also includes the memory of catching you and my maker at it one night."

"You're such an ass," Amelia complained and Eric's lips quirked upwards. "I preferred you when you didn't have your memories. Can we go back to that? You were less of a dick."

"Come now," Eric urged from her with a soft smirk, "I know you love me really, Amelia. You flew all this way to help me."

"I came for Godric," she responded, her voice haughty as Godric remained entertained at their exchange, knowing that his progeny was not as bad as he was making out. He enjoyed winding Amelia up. Godric knew that. The only issue was that Amelia gave as good as she got. "Although it has been entertaining watching you make googly eyes at Sookie whenever she is around."

He frowned and Amelia held a hand up. "Wait," she said, "was that real?"

"Of course not."

"You look like it was."

"You don't know anything," Eric sniped back.

"Oh, I hit a nerve."

"Godric, control your human."

"We have bigger things to worry about," Pam interjected the two of them bickering and Godric's smile of entertainment fell from his lips and he nodded.

"Pamela is right," he said. "We still have to find Marnie. Our work is not finished here."

"I need to go to Sookie's…I will meet you at Bill's mansion and we will go over a plan together."

"Sookie's?" Pam snapped before Amelia could make a comment. "Why the hell do you need to go to her? What the fuck is going on? What is it about her that has grown ass vampires fawning all over her?"

"Leave it," Eric demanded from Pam and he looked to Godric. "I will return."

"Oh no," Pam said as Eric turned to leave the room and she followed him, clearly not dropping the conversation. Godric closed the door after them, knowing that they had to bicker between themselves. Whatever was going on in his progeny's head was something that he had to figure out on his own.

"Something isn't right, is it?" Amelia checked with Godric. "He's not completely the same, is he?"

"I don't think so," Godric admitted to her and took hold of her hand. "I do not know what it is, but we will find out eventually. For now, we need to finish this and then we need to return home…I need to find you a ring, don't I?"

Amelia chuckled at that and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I would like that," she promised him and he bent down to kiss her on the forehead, pulling away after a few seconds and nodding.

"As would I."

"Let's finish this," Amelia said to him, "and go home."

…..

A/N: So she didn't change, but there is more to come! Do let me know what you think!


	47. Chapter 47

Once again, Amelia had been resigned to staying inside the hotel suite, Godric telling her that he had no intention of dragging her into the mess he was in. She had complained, but had also nodded and agreed, selfishly knowing that she didn't want a repeat of what had almost happened the other night. Kissing him chastely, she had watched him go as he left, a smile on his face despite the circumstances.

She hadn't expected Eric to walk through the door before Godric, but she had a shock when the blond Viking vampire made his presence known. He didn't knock. Instead he simply pushed the handle down and made his way into the room. Amelia had been laying on the bed, watching a twenty four hour news channel and drumming her fingers against her leg anxiously.

"Will you ever learn how to knock?" she snapped at him.

Holding up a key card, he waved it in her direction, brow arched. "Godric gave me a card."

"Still doesn't mean you can't knock," she grumbled and Eric rolled his eyes as she moved from the bed and turn the TV off. Folding her arms over her chest, she eyed him with apprehension. "Where is he?"

"Being noble and taking Sookie home."

"Why aren't you?"

"She didn't want to be with me," Eric replied, "and Godric didn't want her to go back alone."

"Why didn't she want to go with you?"

"Do you think I am going to answer?" Eric snapped back and Amelia let an entertaining smile play on her face as she walked forwards, punching Eric on the arm as she grabbed her jacket and he watched her with intrigue.

"Lover's quarrel?" she guessed and she swore she heard a low growl from the back of his throat. "Lighten up, Eric, it's okay to have feelings for someone."

"I am not talking about this with you," Eric replied.

It was Amelia's turn to roll her eyes as she shrugged into her jacket, pulling her hair from underneath its collar. She arched her brow and dropped her hands to her hips, shrugging at him as he eyed her with disdain.

"You're going to have to talk about it with someone," she responded, "because bottling it up isn't healthy and to be honest, girls don't really go for the brooding guy for long term stuff. It becomes too tiring trying to guess what they think in the end."

"This is not happening."

"Oh, it is," Amelia said. "I assume Godric sent you over her to fetch me because you killed the wicked witch?"

"You assume correctly," Eric replied.

"Well then," she said, "you're stuck with me until we're back with Godric and until them I am not going to stop speculating and questioning you. it is fascinating, Eric, I mean really fascinating."

"You're a pain in my ass," Eric snapped and he heard her chuckle as he closed his eyes, wondering if vampires could get headaches from annoying humans. "Come on. I don't have all day. We're meeting Godric at Bill's."

"Why Bill's?"

"Because he is the King and Nan is on our ass about what happened. We had a witch to kill and she wants to know what happened."

"Now, you see, Nan is a pain in my ass," Amelia responded and Eric took hold of her arm, dragging her from the room as she protested slightly at his tight grip. She managed to push his fingers from her as they walked down the steps and Eric checked her out before heading onto the street.

Amelia followed him, still talking as she shivered in the cool night air. "You know, if you like Sookie then it doesn't matter. She seemed pretty smitten on you too. Then again, that was when you had a different personality. You were much more amenable. I actually almost liked you."

"Glad I changed back then," Eric said with a smarmy smirk and then looked to her. "So come on, we need to go."

"Where's your car?" Amelia wondered, looking up and down the street, but she couldn't see anything. Frowning, she looked to Eric as he continued smirking at her and she shook her head. "No," she said firmly.

"Don't trust me not to drop you from a few hundred feet?"

"Not entirely, no," she deadpanned back.

Eric chuckled. "I wouldn't worry too much," he said to her, "if I dropped you then I'd have to face Godric's wrath and your life isn't worth that."

"Thanks?" Amelia asked hesitantly, not sure if he was being kind or not. Instead all she could do was move to stand behind Eric as he crouched down slightly. Placing her hands onto his shoulders, she jumped up, her legs going around his waist as he grabbed hold of her thighs. "Just make this quick and painless," Amelia said in his ear.

"I'll try," Eric said with a sly grin and moved up into the sky.

…..

Godric stood outside of Bill's mansion. Nana Flanagan had already made her presence known and Godric had excused himself from the room. Her presence was already tiring him and he could sense that his progeny and fiancée were close. Rocking back and forth on his heels, he waited, looking into the sky. He soon saw Eric move into view, dropping to the ground with Amelia clinging onto his neck, her grip tight.

Her hair was like a bird's nest around her head and her eyes were watering from the wind in her face. Her cheeks were tinted red as she released her death grip from Eric. She slipped down his back to the ground, standing up and swaying uneasily on her feet. Godric moved over to her in vampire speed, taking hold of her waist before she swayed too much and toppled over.

"Are you alright?" Godric asked from her.

"Fine," Amelia said, "but your progeny decided to take the long way round and went higher than he had to."

Eric shrugged, "I got lost," he said as an excuse and Amelia glowered as Godric gave him a hard glare.

"Eric," Godric said in a warning voice.

"I did what you asked and brought her here. Did Sookie get home safely?"

"She did," Godric said.

"Booty call?" Amelia asked him and he said nothing, merely looked at her from the side of his eye and then back to Godric, ignoring her comment.

"I am afraid Miss Stackhouse will have to wait," Godric said. "Nan Planagan is in there and she wants to discuss what happened with the coven. I told her my version of events, but no doubt she will want to confirm them. I said that you would see her next. I intend to go and talk with Amelia."

"Where will you be spending the day?"

"I have a hotel booked," Godric declared. "I will go there and rest. I will speak with you tomorrow evening before I return to Dallas. I trust that is amicable?"

"Of course," Eric said.

"Now will you be at Fangtasia or Sookie's?" Amelia asked.

"Godric, I swear that I will not be held responsible for my actions if your human keeps acting like this."

Godric chuckled and shrugged his shoulders, wrapping an arm around Amelia's shoulders as she took hold of his waist. "She is not mine to control," Godric said. "Besides, she has a point, my child. You need to think about your feelings."

"Yeah," Eric gave a non-committal grunt and walked away into the house.

Turning to Amelia, Godric bent down and kissed her chastely. "I missed you, my love."

"I missed you too," she replied. "Did everything go okay?"

"Everything went fine," Godric promised her. "The witch had a protection spell around the emporium. Pam was brash. She used a firearm to blow up the building, but it didn't work. It backfired because of the shield. Eric…he got angry with Pam…we glamoured the people inside to forget what had happened. Tomorrow, we can go home. The spirit inside of that woman has gone. It is finished."

"Good," Amelia said as they walked away, Amelia wondering where they were going to spend the night, but she simply followed Godric's lead. She kept her arm tightly wound around his waist. "I'm ready for our own bed again."

"Hmm…is that so?"

"To sleep," Amelia said, moving a hand over her body and patting his chest. "But you need to get your mind out of the gutter. Besides, we need to plan this wedding so that you can make an honest woman of me."

Godric laughed at that and swayed from side to side as she laughed with him. "I think that is not possible," he responded. "I think I have thoroughly debauched you, my dear."

"Well, I am sorely tainted," she said, overly dramatic. "You must marry me, or else I fear no one else would have me. I can't be a spinster."

Godric continued smiling as he laughed with her and she rested her head on his shoulder for a second before moving to kiss his neck. Looking him in the eye as he looked down to her, he felt himself grow with longing.

"You are so very dramatic, my love," Godric said to her.

"But you love me."

"Alas, I do," he replied to her and once against bent down and kissed her softly.

Three Days Later

Sitting at the dining table, Amelia flicked through the magazine she had bought of bridal dresses. She didn't know what she was thinking when she had seen them in the supermarket and picked them up. She placed her chin in her hand and looked down at the dresses. She was convinced that none of them would suit her. She knew that she had to go and try them on, but she wanted an idea of what she might like.

Walking into the house on the Friday night, Godric bent down and kissed her on the cheek. She turned her head over her shoulder and smiled up to him as he rested his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it tightly.

"How has your day been?"

"Good," Amelia nodded. "I was teaching about Shakespeare today. While I appreciate some of his works, I've never been the biggest fan. I ordered pizza, by the way for tonight. Anyway, I picked up some food on the way home and some…well…magazines…"

"Wedding magazines?"

"Just a couple," she responded. "I was looking at dresses. It seems weird though."

"Why is that?" Godric enquired.

"Like…I just can't imagine myself in a wedding dress," she replied to him. "I'm having a hard time imagining it."

"You would look beautiful," Godric said to her, kissing her again and sitting down next to her at the table. "I have no doubt of that."

Settling down in the chair next to hers, Godric picked up his own magazine as Amelia kept speaking, sitting back in her chair and taking a sip of her tea.

"It seems pointless having a wedding cake or a sit down meal. You don't eat or drink."

"But it is what you want," Godric said.

Amelia shrugged. "I'm not that bothered," she said. "I would be happy to have a small ceremony and then return back home with my mom and Jack. Obviously you would want Eric here so I could just have us some food here waiting."

"On your wedding day?" Godric said. "Don't be silly. We will order catering."

"For me and my mom?"

"You are not cooking on your wedding day," he replied to her. "You are not having stress."

"We'll order pizza, it will be fine," Amelia shrugged at him. "But I am tempted to get the cake."

Godric chuckled. "I know how much you like cake," he said and flipped through the magazine, unaware of how traditions had changed in relation to marriage. He had kept up to a certain extent, but some of these things looked excessive. They looked expensive and Godric wondered why. Did two people simply not need to marry? Did they need everything else?

"I do love cake," Amelia said as Godric's cell began to ring.

Pulling it from his pocket, he looked down to the caller ID and frowned for a moment. It had been years since he had heard from her. Truth be told, he had wondered if she had forgotten about him.

"Nora," he spoke her name as he answered the call, sitting back in the chair as Amelia's eyes widened, wondering where she had heard that name before. She knew after a few seconds and Godric closed his eyes and nodded his head. "I will come."

Hanging up, Amelia held her arms out to the side. "Care to elaborate?" she wondered from him.

"Nora, my other child," he said, "she informed me that Eric and Bill are in trouble. Nan Flanagan asked them to turn against the AVL and join her. They killed her when she threatened Sookie. They were captured and caught, but Nora freed them…she is helping them escape."

"What?" Amelia snapped loudly.

"I know," Godric said, holding his hands up, "I have no idea how any of this has happened, my love, but Eric is in trouble."

"Again," Amelia added on.

"The Authority will be after them. I do no doubt it is long before they are here and asking if I know anything."

"Godric," Amelia complained to him, "how long is this going to go on for? How many times do you need to save Eric? Why can that big brute not just live a quiet life, huh? Why does he do this?"

"I am beginning to ask myself the same question," Godric said to her. "Believe me, if I were human I would have worried myself into an early grave."

Amelia managed a sad smile and moved to her feet, kissing Godric quickly. "We'll get through this," she promised him, "again."

It was then when the doorbell rang and Amelia moved off to answer it. "That should be my pizza."

Pulling the door open, Amelia startled as she saw him stood there, his smug face on her doorstep.

He smirked. "Hello, darling daughter."

….

A/N: Back in the action again! Do let me know what you think!


	48. Chapter 48

Amelia was aghast as she opened the door. It was almost like she had seen a ghost. How did he know where she lived? How had he any idea where she would be? She folded her arms over herself, feeling a chill run down her body as her father continued smirking at her. Godric was behind her in seconds, his hand on the small of her back as he growled lowly and Martin Jones chuckled at the sight of the vampire. Clearly, he wasn't scared.

"I have to say that I had hoped for a warmer greeting," he declared and Amelia almost wanted to growl herself. "Can I come in?"

"No," Amelia snapped back at him. "You are coming nowhere near me. Get away."

"Amelia, come now, is that anyway to treat your father?"

"Do as she says," Godric said, "or I will be less forgiving."

"Come now, Godric," Martin said, "there is no reason to be like that. I want ten minutes of your time and then I will be gone. Besides, it is not my fang banging whoring daughter I want, but my wife."

"No chance," Amelia said and Godric reacted quickly, picking Martin up by the throat and slamming him against the wall of the hallway. Amelia reacted quickly, shutting the front door so as not to alarm the neighbours. Martin struggled for breath, his hands going to Godric's around his throat, but it did nothing. Amelia went for Godric's elbow, her touch light as she held him and his fangs dropped down.

"You never talk to her like that," Godric snarled. "I know what you did to her. I know how your hurt her…used her…laid your hands on her…I would rip your throat open right now, but this carpet was not cheap and is worth more than your spilled blood."

"Godric…he isn't worth it," Amelia said, her hand still holding onto his elbow. "Please, don't bother."

"I won't," he responded and dropped Martin, leaving him to cough and splutter on the ground. "But he is not welcome here," he looked down to Martin. "Leave."

"Wait," Amelia said as Martin moved to his feet and held a hand up to his sore throat. Amelia looked to her father as she took a step closer to him. Godric reacted, his hand going to hold onto her forearm as he held her back. But she shook her head, looking to him and managing a soft nod. Turning to Martin as he gathered his breath, she arched a brow. "How did you get out of prison?"

"The Governor Burrell," Martin spoke. "Let's just say he pulled a few strings. I am under curfew and have other restrictions, but he is a powerful man…sympathetic to our cause."

"What does that mean?" Amelia demanded from him.

"You know," Martin responded. "And you will see soon enough, but first I want to know where your mother is."

"Why the hell would I tell you that?" Amelia demanded from him. "So you can torture her like you did me? I am telling you nothing. She isn't here."

"I see that now," Martin said, "but I will find her, Amelia. Do not doubt me."

"No, you won't," Amelia said to him, "and if you do anything to hurt her or her happiness then I swear…" she left the threat empty.

"Swear what?" Martin asked. "Amelia, do not try and play tough in front of me."

"You forget that she has me," Godric said to Martin and he looked over to him. "If I so much as discover that she wants you stopped…hurt…dead…for what you have done, then I will do it for her without hesitation. If it were not for her and the respect I have for her, you would not be breathing right now."

"So willing to kill…and you say you aren't monsters."

"You planned to inject us all with Hep V," Godric said, "do not talk with me about who the monster is here."

"You two are never going to work," Martin said. "Don't think I haven't noticed that ring on your finger, Amelia, but the chances of you ever fulfilling him…ever pleasing him…he will become bored. He will get bored of you and he will toss you aside. They always do."

"You don't know him," Amelia said and Godric was about to kick the man out, but Amelia's hand on his wrist kept him grounded. "Now get the fuck out of our house before I do something I regret. Believe me, while Godric can fight my battles, I like fighting them myself. I took you down once before. Do you think I can't do it again?"

"You're my daughter, Amelia," Martin said and reached for the door handle. "One day you might act like it again."

He slammed the door shut on his final word and Amelia let out a deep breath she had been holding in. Reaching for Godric, she took hold of him by the forearms, holding onto him tightly as she bowed her head and Godric's hands took her waist. Pulling her into his arms, he kissed the top of her head by the roots of her hair.

"I need to warn her," Amelia said, her warm breath hitting his neck.

"He will be expecting you to do that," Godric said to her as she pulled back and looked at him quizzically. Godric took her waist and led her back into the living room, sitting down with her. "Why else would he come here? He came here because he knew she wasn't here. He had to have known if he is friends with the Governor. No…he knew that you would do one of two things. Either you would rush out here and go to her or you would call her. It would not surprise me if he had bugged your cell."

"You…you think?"

"I would suspect so," Godric told her honestly. "Amelia, your father is a cruel man and your mother sent him to prison. I do not know what he will do, but I suspect it will look a lot like what he did to Will because he knows of her vampire lover."

"I can't let him get to her," Amelia said. "But I need to tell her."

"Then call her from a secure line," Godric said. "I have one for emergency purposes."

"I'll do that," Amelia said. "He…he can't get close to her. How is this possible? How is he even free?"

"Politics is a corrupt game, my love," Godric said, his hand holding the small of her back. "You know that just as I know that, but your father plays the game well. If he is in leagues with Burrell then he has some influence."

"And what was that about him being sympathetic to the cause…to us seeing what that will mean?" Amelia asked. "Something is going on, Godric. I don't like it."

"Nor do I," he responded and she shook her head. "We will look into it, Amelia. Will have Isabel come over here and look into it."

"And babysit me?" Amelia asked him and Godric frowned as she sussed out his plan without truly needing to work hard at it. "You're going to go and find Eric, aren't you? Isabel is going to come here and make sure my father does nothing sinister. I doubt he will. I was never a big part of his plans…not really…more of a pawn in his game. But you are still you and you are still overprotective."

"Am I that transparent?"

"To me? Yes," she answered him. "Come on, Godric, we're getting married. I think by now I should know you better than you think."

Godric's lips quirked for a second and he kissed her forehead before picking her hand up, looking down at her ring finger, the gleaming emerald stone sitting there proudly against the silver band. It was an antique. Godric had found it and it had been perfect. It was old and precious. It was understated and gorgeous. Plus, it brought out her eyes whenever she looked at it.

"We are getting married," Godric whispered, "and as soon as I get back-"

"-Don't say that," she interrupted him. "Whenever we say things like that something else comes up. I don't want to jinx it. Just go and find Eric and ask him not to fuck things up anymore for us, okay? I don't mind sharing you with him, but not when your time with him involves dangerous scenarios."

"I will remember to tell him," Godric said as the doorbell rang and Godric moved to his feet this time. "That will be your pizza."

"I'm not even hungry," Amelia complained as Godric walked to answer the door.

He paid for the food and placed the box on the coffee table, pulling the lid open as Amelia folded her arms and leant back against the sofa. Godric wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Nothing ruins your appetite," Godric said to her. "Don't let someone as significant as your father do that."

"Guess that makes sense," Amelia mumbled. "Can I call my mom first? I'll eat when I've done that. I just need to make sure she is okay."

"Here," Godric said, handing her his untraceable cell. "Call her."

"Love you," Amelia whispered, taking his cell and kissing him chastely.

"Just as I love you, my love," Godric said as she went into the kitchen to call her mother and Godric wondered just what was going on.

….

Godric didn't like what was happening. Nora had informed him that they had been captured and he had somehow found himself travelling to appear before the Authority and vouch for his child. Nan Flanagan had been killed, he had confirmed that much. Godric would say that it was a loss, but honestly he hardly cared. The woman had been a pain in his ass. Nora had also found herself in trouble for helping them escape, but Godric knew that she would never turn against Eric. Her position in the Authority was not worth as much as her brother.

"Godric!"

Sitting in the room, Godric had waited for Roman to make his entrance. Moving to his feet from the red sofa, Godric nodded once at Roman, his presence slightly erratic. But that was Roman.

"It has been such a long time," Roman said.

"It has been that," Godric said once more. "You know why I am here, Roman. I am here because of Eric and Nora. I want to know what is happening. I need to know what is happening."

"Your progeny has been nothing but a pain in the ass, Godric, I will tell you that for nothing," Roman said and held his hand out, urging for him to sit down. Godric sat down on one sofa and Roman sat across from him. "Eric Northamn and Bill Compton had caused chaos, Godric. We know about the Festival that went awry…we know about the witch…we know that you were involved, Godric, but you tried to take a back seat. That didn't work out for you. It never does."

"I protect them. They are my children."

"But we hear that is not the only thing you are protecting," a new voice entered the room and Godric turned his head over his shoulder to see Salome. He couldn't help but notice the swagger in her walk. She sat down next to Roman and looked to Godric, the older vampire remaining impassive on the seat across from them. "Nora informed us that you are engaged…to a human."

"I trust Eric told her that."

"Is she pretty?" Salome wondered and Godric knew something was awry. He kept his thoughts to himself, however. He would say nothing on the matter.

"Now, now," Roman said, trailing a finger down Salome's cheek. "There is no need to speak like that in front of Godric, Salome. I am certain his young, blushing bride is quite the beauty."

"May I see my progeny?"

"We have him locked up for the day," Roman said. "We are interrogating him, Godric. Wait until nightfall when we have our information and I can pass my sentence. You must be tired after travelling. Please, use a spare room to rest for the day. We will discuss this in the evening."

"Very well," Godric said with a nod, the other two vampires clearly not buying what he was saying. They knew something was not right. But so did Godric. He would play along. He would play along for as long as he needed to. Two could play this game.

Moving off down the hallway, Godric followed Salome to a bedroom as she made small talk. He answered her questions and she watched him enter the bedroom. Once inside, Godric knew he would be watched. Reaching for his cell from his long woollen coat pocket, he shrugged the material from his body, leaving him clad in a long blue shirt tucked into his dark jeans. Placing the cell to his ear as he called her, he looked around the bright and airy space, sitting on the king-sized bed.

"Godric, thank God, are you okay? Is everything alright?"

"I am fine," Godric promised her. "Eric and Nora are locked up and being questioned. I can see them this evening."

There was silence for a second. "You sound considerably relaxed."

"I'm not."

"Ah," Amelia said, piecing it together. "Are they listening in?"

"I suspect so," he responded. "Tell me, my love, is everything alright at home?"

"Everything is fine," she promised him. "Isabel is here and resting. I told my mom about dad and she has left the country for Italy. She is going to call me when she is there, but she is fine. I'm still worried about what he has planned, but Isabel promised me nothing would happen. She…well…she's great, Godric. Honestly."

"Why do I sense a but?"

"We had an embarrassing moment this morning," she admitted. "Ever since you gave my your blood I've been having dreams. She kind of heard one this morning and thought I was in pain."

Godric's lips quirked. "What was I doing to you for it to sound so painful?"

"Something that is above the PG certificate to discuss," she responded. "But that's not all, Godric. Pam called. Eric hasn't even told her what is going on. I told her what we knew, but I convinced her to leave it to you."

"I assume they never had a chance to make up from their argument," Godric said. "When I see him, I shall tell him she is concerned. In the meantime, you did the right thing."

"I know," Amelia said, "Godric, just promise me you'll be safe. You…something doesn't sound right…or feel right…just get Eric and Nora and get out of there. Come home."

"That is my intention, my love," he assured her in a gentle voice. "I will call you tomorrow."

"Promise?"

"Promise," he said, "I love you, Amelia."

"I love you too, Godric."

Hanging up, Godric stood up as the door opened and Salome entered the room, dressed in a long pink robe, her hair pulled free from her bun. Godric arched a brow, suspecting she had nothing underneath that robe. So she was going to try this tactic. Godric was disappointed. He had expected more than futile seduction, but he was intrigued. If she thought she could play him, then she was wrong.

"There's no need to stand on ceremony, Godric," Salome said, sitting down on the side of the bed as she patted the spot next to her. "Roman isn't here now. It is just us."

"Your lover seems to be playing the cards close to his chest," Godric sat and looked over to Salome. "I am aware of what my progeny has done and I understand your anger for that."

"Roman seems to think that he might be part of the Sanguinista movement," Salome said with a roll of her eye, "hence why so many humans have died around them…because of their belief in the movement."

"Mainstreaming has been at the forefront of the Authority's beliefs for centuries," Godric said. "Eric would never dare threaten mainstreaming. I taught him better than that."

"I do not doubt it," Salome said. "Of course…those who think it is right…well…they are out there. You had an encounter with one, didn't you? You had an encounter with your fiancée's…well…what would it be? Your fiancée's ex-boyfriend's brother?"

"I believe so."

"And how did that feel?" Salome enquired, tossing her hair behind her shoulder.

"How did what feel?"

"Meeting one of them and thinking about their ethos."

"I mainstream," Godric said. "I am engaged to a human. Do you think I have any care for the Sanguinista movement?"

"You have been alive for centuries, Godric," Salome said, toying with the edge of her robe. "Have you never been intrigued? Has it never interested you?"

"As you say," Godric drawled, playing coy, "I have lived for many years. I have done things that I am no longer proud of. I have changed, however, I have been a changed vampire for many years."

"And most recently, of course," she spoke with a nod of her head. "Your beloved fiancée…Amelia Jones…what is it like, Godric? A vampire who has been around for so many years settling down…with such a young human."

"Amelia is my everything," Godric said, not bothering to hide it. They would never hurt her. They would get nowhere near her. He would always see to that. "I have never felt about anyone how I feel about her."

"I cannot imagine," Salome said in a whisper, "a human…extraordinary…and she…well…does she please you, Godric? For a vampire with so much experience it must be difficult to date a human with so little inexperience."

"She is all that I need," Godric said and Salome chuckled and looked down for a second.

"I see," she said and moved to her feet, her hand going to the belt around her robe, "and nothing can tempt you?"

She pulled her belt free, letting it dangle down by her sides. Godric ignored her naked body and kept his gaze on her face. Sighing, he moved to his feet so that he was eye level with the tall woman. He reached for her robe and covered her up.

"Nothing will ever tempt me," he said, "and I do not know if that was a cheap attempt at manipulation, but it did not work, Salome. It will not work. Amelia is mine. She is my everything."

Salome smirked and nodded her head. He had rejected her. He was serious about Amelia. He was deadly serious. He might have been noble in his actions, but now Salome knew his weakness for certain.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	49. Chapter 49

Amelia sighed as she looked to her phone for the hundredth time. She had been at work that day and had come back to writing lesson plans, but her mind was on Godric. She had silently cursed Eric for the trouble he continued to bring to them. Did he not understand the benefits of a quiet life? Amelia was tempted to force him into their basement and never let him out when they got him out of the trouble he was in.

She frowned and moved to her feet, filling the kettle up with water. As she made the movement, she heard a knock on the door. Placing the kettle on the side, she moved over to the hallway and pulled the door open, her eyes widening as soon as she saw the men on the other side. But he wasn't alone. Amelia snapped at him, her voice harsh as men wearing black suits entered her house, holding up what looked like guns in their hands.

"What the fuck is this?" Amelia snapped as she saw her father move into her house followed by another man she noticed from TV. It took her a second before she recognised him. Governor Burrell.

"Where is he?" Martin demanded from his daughter and Amelia frowned, arms folding over her chest.

"He isn't here," she hissed. "He's gone away. What the hell did you intend to do? Come in here and kill him? Are you insane? He would have snapped your neck before you had the chance to do anything."

"And you would have let him, wouldn't you?" Martin snarled at her. "Well, if he isn't here then this makes things easier. Come along, Amelia."

Amelia blinked profusely, arms folding over her chest. "Excuse me?" she asked him. "What…you think that I am going with you? Why on earth would you think that?"

"You're right, Martin, she is a handful," Burrell said in a low drawl.

"Always has been," Martin said, "but she is my daughter and I need her if I am to get my political career back on track."

"Christ, you're deluded," Amelia said with a shake of her head and turned on her heel as the men who had entered her house moved back into the hallway, stating that everything was clear. "Now, you've raided my house, so get out."

"Your mother is in Italy."

Amelia froze as she heard him say that. Turning her head over her shoulder, her gaze moved back to her father as he chuckled and adjusted his tie against his shirt, looking down to it before moving towards her.

"My mother is none of your concern," Amelia said to him. "She left you."

"And now she is screwing a fang too," Martin said. "So, you see, Amelia, I need you to come with me. I need you to denounce everything you said about me. I need you to admit that you were a liar…that Godric put you up to this. I need you to come back and act the dutiful daughter."

"Are you insane?" Amelia hissed, arms flapping by her sides as she spoke and rolled her eyes at hearing him. "Why would you think I would do that?"

"Because, as I said, I know where your mother is. I know who she is with. I have men watching her every move…waiting for my word," he said, holding his cell up and looking at her as he waggled it around. "My word to kill that fang she is with…to take away her chance at happiness."

Amelia remained silent, feeling slightly dizzy.

"You see, the difference between you and your mother is clear," Martin said. "Your mother…she loves you, but she turned weak. She let you live under my thumb for all those years, even when you had Will and had a chance at happiness. She could have let you go. She could have encouraged you to go, but she didn't. You're not like her, Amelia. You put other people's happiness before your own. You always have done."

"Why?" Amelia asked him, the word simple but carrying so much weight. "Why do you want to do this to me? What did I do to you?"

"You couldn't just be the good daughter I needed you to be," Martin said. "You couldn't just do as I asked. You brought this on yourself, Amelia."

"I fell in love!" Amelia snapped at him. "I loved Will. Why is that so hard for you to understand?"

"Because you can't!" he said and Amelia scoffed at that stupid and simple answer. "You can't fall in love with a vampire. You had one role for me, Amelia. You had one job…just don't fall in love with a vampire! Why couldn't you do that?"

"Because…because I didn't," Amelia responded. "But please, if you love me, just leave me alone. Leave us all alone."

Martin stepped forward, a hand going to her cheek as he bent down slightly to look her in the eye. "You are my daughter, Amelia. I only want the best for you and a life with fangs…becoming one of them…that isn't the best for you. You will soon see that. I promise you."

"I'm engaged to Godric," Amelia said. "He isn't going to let me go willingly. You don't want to be around when that happens."

"I wouldn't worry about that," Martin said and looked to Burrell.

"Don't worry," Burrell said to Martin. "He won't be a problem. I'll make sure of that."

"What?" Amelia asked, bemused by what she was hearing. "What do you mean?"

"You'll see, Amelia. You'll see," Martin said. "Now come on. We are going."

"No," Amelia said firmly. "I don't want to."

Martin sighed, but nodded. Holding his hand up, he beckoned for his bodyguards to make their appearance. Amelia tried to push them off of her as two of them grabbed her, one by each arm. She screamed and fought the entire way to the car, looking back at their house and vowing to get back there whatever it took.

….

Godric wasn't angry, but he was disappointed. He knew that Eric wanted revenge on Russell Edgington. Godric didn't know what he had done to him, for he didn't want to know. But he had discovered that he had buried him in concrete, but apparently he had broken free. He had broken free and was on the loose. Godric felt a sense of apprehension at hearing that. He needed to get back to Amelia. He needed to make certain that she was safe.

"You are not saying anything," Eric observed before he was due to leave with Bill to find Russell and bring him before the Authority. He was dangerous. He was a man on a mission if he had strength.

Godric sighed and looked over to his son. They were in the bedroom that Godric had been granted. "What would you like me to say? This is a mess, Eric. Your life is on the line."

"I know," Eric said.

"Yet you act so nonchalant."

"You're sounding hypocritical," Eric hissed back. "I remember a time not so long ago when you had intended to go and meet the sun. Do not talk to me about the true death. You have no authority on that matter."

"I have the right because I am your maker," Godric said. "All I have done is try to guide you, Eric. I want the best for you, yet you keep finding yourself in these situations. You keep getting into this mess."

"You can't expect him to change after decades of being this way," a new voice entered the room and Godric turned his head over his shoulder to see Nora moving towards him. She had a small smile on her face and Godric moved to her, enveloping her into his arms and holding her to him as she held him back. "Godric," she whispered his name.

"Nora," he responded, pulling back and cupping her cheeks gently. "It is so good to see you. It has been so long…too long."

"I know," Nora said to him. "I have missed you, Godric."

"Just as I have missed you."

"Now that we're done with the reunion, I have a job to get on with," Eric said to them, reverting back to his usual brash self as Godric resisted the urge to berate him and roll his eyes. "I need to go and find Russell…but we both know that when I bring him back then the Authority will have no reason to keep me alive."

"No," Nora said firmly, "Eric I am doing everything that I can to keep you safe."

"You can only do so much."

"Nothing shall happen," Godric said. "Roman may be head of the Authority, but he knows who I am. He knows my reputation. He knows what I can do."

"It won't come to that," Nora said, placing a hand on Godric's arm. "Eric and Bill will return with Russell and it will be fine. I will see to it."

"Well, you had better," Eric huffed, "because it would be a shame if I died."

"Be careful, Eric," Godric said to his child as Eric shrugged into his leather jacket. "Come back here as soon as you have him. Do not deviate. Nora and I shall see what we can do to secure your release. As soon as that is done, then we are going home."

"Back to your boring life with little miss prim and proper?" Eric guessed.

"I would not push me, Eric," Godric warned him. "I also would not push Amelia. She is ready to give you a piece of her mind when you return home. She is…how can I put this eloquently…rather disillusioned with you."

"I can handle her."

"I know for a fact you can't," Godric responded. "Now go and come back soon."

"I will," Eric said and swept from the room.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Godric buried his head into his hands. Nora watched her maker for a few moments before she went to sit down next to him. She knew exactly how she had to play this. She had to be gentle and swift. Her maker couldn't suggest a thing about her plan with Salome. She couldn't know.

"He's always been this way. You are never going to change him," she said to him.

"I know," Godric responded. "I just wish that he was not so brash sometimes. Perhaps then he would be able to keep himself out of trouble."

"Eric and trouble go together pretty well," Nora said. "Then again…people change. I never thought you and a human would go so well together."

Godric smiled at the mention of Amelia. He turned to look to her and she nudged him in the side. "Tell me about her," she urged from him.

"I doubt we have time for me to tell you everything," he said in a soft tone and Nora continued to listen with intrigue. She needed to know exactly what was going on. Salome had entrusted her with gaining that information. "But, she is a teacher. She recently qualified. She is very clever…she is kind…giving. She would do anything for me, Nora. I would do anything for her. She is stunning. I would like for you to meet her."

"I would like that too," Nora said. "I saw her when she was on TV."

"That was a particularly difficult time," he admitted. "She struggled with everything that had gone on. Truth be told, she wasn't the only one who did."

"I can imagine it was testing," she admitted. "And you intend to marry her? Do you intend to turn her?"

"I intend to marry her," Godric confirmed. "I intend…well…I know that I will have to turn her soon before she complains too much about aging. I suppose I am just trying to delay the inevitable."

"Why?" Nora asked. "Humans are so fragile and weak. If you want to be with her forever then you should change her."

"There is a quality about being human that I find rather endearing," Godric said. "Humanity can offer so much. Being a vampire…we cannot offer the same things. It seems that at time we only offer pain."

"But humans-"

"-Sorry to interrupt." Looking to the doorway, Godric frowned as Salome walked in, holding what looked like a tablet in her hands. "You have an issue, Godric."

"What is it?"

"Look at this," Salome said to him and handed him the device as he watched a video.

His lips fell into a tight line as he watched the video.

"It is with great pleasure that I finally have my daughter back home with me. My darling Amelia has been through so much at the hands of vampires and she knows what has happened now. She is remorseful, but I do not hold grudges. I am only grateful that she is back home with me…back with her fiancée Daniel. We are now looking forward to the future and what it holds. We are excited to be working alongside Governor Burrell in his office. I hope that we can put the entire ordeal of what happened with me behind us…the evidence my wife fabricated led to my arrest…and my daughter will attest to that now she is free of the vampire's grip."

It was then when the video stopped and Godric crushed the device he held. Moving to his feet, he tossed it to the side and stood up.

"What was that?" Nora wondered, recalling the sight of Annie behind her father. She had been stood next to Daniel, her hand in his as she wore a tight fitting blue dress. She had looked every inch the politician's daughter.

"He's got her," Godric said. "I shouldn't have been so stupid and left her. I should have known that he would do something. I have to get her back. I need to go now."

"No," Salome said, knowing exactly how to play this. Godric was dangerous. He was the biggest threat to her plans and she knew that. If she had something of his. If she had something he wanted then he would be more willing to submit. "Godric, we both know that if you go after her then there will be destruction. You would stop at nothing to get her back. I can have men on the inside. I can have men get her out and here to you."

"I would prefer to do this alone."

"Maker, listen," Nora urged, reaching for his hand. "Salome has a point. I can go with them. I can ensure that she is brought back. If you go there…they know who you are…they will have her guarded. Believe in me. Believe that I will bring her home…home to you."

Godric listened to her and searched her gaze. Shaking his head, he felt his anger continue to increase. What had they done to her? What had they threatened her with?

"I need a minute," Godric said, sweeping from the room as Nora looked to Salome.

"If you get her then you know where to take her," Salome said. "She cannot be anywhere he can find her. If he knows where she is then he would kill anyone to get her back."

"Do you think this will work?"

"She is the only thing that could convince him to join us…if we have him…him and Russell…think of the power. Think of what we could do."

"But he loves her."

"And he can change her when he comes around to our way of thinking, but until then, she needs to stay hidden. She needs to be our leverage."

Nora nodded once and Salome moved to cup her cheek, looking her in the eye.

"This is the right thing to do," Salome promised her. "You will see that."

Nora nodded and gulped once, hoping that Godric would see it that way too eventually.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	50. Chapter 50

Godric didn't think that it was a good idea to be the one to go and find Amelia. He wanted to. She had no idea how much he wanted to go and bring her back. He would claim her as his in front of anyone who dared to take her away. He would hold her in his arms and kill anyone who took her from him or put her through pain. He had very little emotions, but what he was feeling was pure, hot anger at the thought of Amelia being back with her father and former fiancé.

He wanted her nowhere near them and he suspected she would feel the same. Had they hurt her? Had they hurt her when they forced her to go with them? Godric didn't know, but he knew that she would never have gone willingly. He had allowed Nora to go. He knew that she spoke sense. He would go in there and he had no doubt that it would be a blood bath. He suspected he would get into trouble.

Nora had the advantage of going there and making certain that Amelia was returned to him safely. He trusted her to do that. By the end of the day, Amelia would be returned to him. She would be brought back and they would be together. It would be as it should be.

"Has there been any news from Eric?" Godric asked from Roman as they came to sit around the main meeting room. Salome had made her appearance, sitting down and looking to Roman with a small smile. Godric looked at her with intrigue for a few moments. Did Roman knew that she had offered herself to Godric? Did he care?

"They are on their way back," Roman said. "Russell Edgington has been found. By the end of tonight he will be killed and him and his dangerous beliefs will be gone."

"As you say," Godric said with an incline of his head.

Roman arched his brow. "Salome told me how Nora has gone off to rescue your fiancée. Horrid business."

"I know," Godric said.

"However, I have to say, Godric," Roman said, "if this does create an all out war with humans then…well…these are things that we have to take into consideration. We do not want another PR disaster like what we had when you were with her on TV organised by Nan."

Godric arched his brow. "What are you saying?"

"Nothing," Salome interrupted Roman before he could anger Godric or let the older vampire jump to conclusions that he was unlikely to be happy with. "He is saying absolutely nothing."

"Well, just that we have an image to consider," Roman said.

Godric remained calm and collected, despite feeling a burning sensation in the pit of his stomach. Whatever they were saying, Godric did not appreciate it. If Roman thought for one minute that he would let Amelia go to save face, then he was sorely mistaken. Godric would never do that. He would never let Amelia go.

As the night progressed, Godric engaged in idle chatter with everyone who spoke to him. He had to confess that he didn't particularly enjoy it, but he had been given no other option but to engage. He had sat down and being cordial, waiting for his progeny to return.

It was just before the morning broke when Eric and Bill walked into the room. Roman celebrated them and everyone congratulated them. Nora was still absent and Godric's worry was only growing with each passing minute. He embraced Eric and enquired after his welfare. Eric said that he had heard what had happened with Amelia and he asked Godric if he could do anything. That had shocked Godric. He had never been fond of Amelia.

"Nora will bring her home," Godric said to Eric.

"You did not want to go?"

"If I went then I worry of the consequences of my actions," Godric admitted to Eric. "I would have been bold and brash until I had her back home…I…I am controlled. I am measured. However, when it comes to her, that all goes out the window."

"She…she loves you and I know that," Eric said to Godric. "She would never have gone willingly."

"I know," Godric said. "It does not make this any easier. Regardless, I believe I may retire to my room. I have no desire to see Russell Edgington staked for what he has done. I only wish to see Amelia returned to me."

"As you say," Eric said and watched Godric retreat, wondering what was going on in his mind.

….

Godric had stayed in his room, pacing and waiting for Nora to return. He had not been there to see Russell Edgington be staked. He did not like the vampire, nor did he want to engage with him. Eric had gone after coming to find Godric and making certain he was fine. But then Godric had heard the commotion. He had heard the yells and the roars. Moving out of his room, Godric went back toward the meeting room, the smell of blood entering his nostrils, but it was not human blood.

Entering the room, Godric looked around as commotion enveloped the room. He saw Eric stood in the corner of the room, his fangs bared as Godric looked down to the ground. Roman's limp and lifeless body laid there, Salome stood over it. Godric's eyes widened as he saw Russell stood in the middle of the room, arms stretched wide and his chin dripping with blood. Godric knew that something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong. It was then when he saw Nora near Eric. She went to place her hand on his arm, but he pulled away from her, glowering down at her. Bill Compton also remained on the side line, clearly not wanting to get involved.

"Godric!" Russell called out loud as he saw the other old vampire. "How good of you to make your presence known!"

"What is going on here?" Godric demanded to know, voice low and even as he looked around.

"It is a change, Godric," Russell said loudly. "The change is coming…and you know it…deep down you know that it is the right thing to do. It has always been the right thing."

"What are you talking about?"

"The Sanguinista movement," Russell said.

"Roman was holding us back," Salome said, looking to Godric as Nora went to stand beside her, looking at her with what looked like pure adoration. Something was wrong. Something was not right at all and Godric could not put his finer on it. "He was always going to hold us back and not accept us for who we are. We all know that. We all understand that."

"No," Eric hissed, "we don't all agree with you."

"Brother-"

"-Do not," Eric interrupted Nora in a low snarl as he moved toward Godric, "call me that. Tell him. Why don't you tell him what you have done?"

"Where is she?" Godric demanded, feeling his hands ball into fists. His gaze darkened as he let his eyes move to Nora. He wanted her to feel his weath. He wanted her to feel his anger. "Where is my Amelia?"

"She is safe," Nora said, holding a hand up in defence as Russell rolled his eyes and the room emptied, save for Bill, Salome, Nora, Eric, Godric and Russell. The others could sense another fight. They could sense something dark and foreboding. "Godric, she is safe."

"Where. Is. She?" Godric accentuated each word.

"Tell him," Eric snapped at his sister.

"I gave her to some of our men. I trust them. They will not let any harm come to her, but I…I told them not to tell me where they were taking her…not until they made contact and I could tell them that she could come here."

"Why?" Godric demanded.

"Isn't it obvious?" Eric asked.

"To get you to join us," Russell said, holding his arms above his head and then dropping them to his hips. "Come now, Godric, is it not obvious? Is it not clear that you would never join us if you had her…but with you on our side…with you working with us…we could be invincible."

"When you agree then she can come here," Nora said and Godric's glare shifted back to her. "When you agree and Boris, who is in charge, calls us, then we can tell him to bring her here. She can come here and you can change her. You can both join us."

"And go against everything that I believe in?" Godric asked Nora. "Go against everything that I taught you?"

"Do not pretend to be innocent," Salome said. "We know of your reputation."

"Do you truly?" Godric asked her and moved in an instant, his hand wrapping around her throat as he lifted her from the ground, shoving her against the wall as she coughed and struggled for breath, no match for Godric's power. "Did you tell Nora to do this? Did you tell her to keep Amelia from me? Was that why you came and threw yourself at me…thinking I would stray?"

"Godric, let her go," Nora urged her maker. "She did not make me do this. I believe her. I believe…I…I have seen Lillith."

Godric dropped Salome and let her cough as he turned to look to Nora, her eyes wide and she looked almost childlike in her appearance. She looked pathetic to Godric as she stood there. "Lillith?" he echoed.

"Yes," she said. "I have seen her. She wants this. She wants us to do what we have to do. Mainstreaming is not normal. You never partook at one stage, Godric."

"I have changed," Godric hissed. "I have had centuries to change. I will not be a part of this. Now, tell me how to get in touch with this Boris or I will kill each and every single vampire who dares to stand in my way."

"Then you have to begin with me," Nora said, feeling brave as she stood in front of him. "I am doing this because it is right, Godric. I am doing this because I need to do it. Join us and you can have her back."

"No."

"Then she will stay where she is," Nora said. "I want you to-"

Nora was cut off as Godric took hold of her chin, squeezing it sharply. Looking her in the eye, he knew that his progeny was misguided. She had been led astray and he had to get her back onto the right path, but he would not do that by causing bloodshed. He had to be smart. He could not lash out. He had to be clever.

"If I join you," Godric said.

"Godric-" Eric began to protest, but Godric held a hand up to silence him.

"If I join you then I want her here. No one is to touch her while she is human. No one is to go near her. Is that understood?"

"I'd quite like a taste of her considering she left me in the sun to burn," Russell said and Godric looked to him, disgust clear on his face. He would not engage with Russell. He was not worthy of his time.

"We can make that promise," Salome said with a nod, "but we need you to prove that you are willing to join us. If she is brought here then you will change her that very same night…you will be locked in a cell…both of you, until she has been drained."

Godric hesitated then. He couldn't do this. He couldn't do this to Amelia. He had to think of another way out of this mess. He had to think of something else.

"I like this idea," Russell said. "Lock him in a cell and bring her here anyway. He is hesitating. He thought that he could have a plan…but he can't…look at his face."

"I will not change her," Godric said firmly.

"Then she will not be brought here," Salome said, "and we will keep you in a cell until you change your mind."

Godric was about to ask how she was going to do that, but Russell moved quickly, using silver to bind Godric and cause him to hiss out in pain as he sunk down to his knees, Russell pushing on his shoulder to move him there.

"You forget I am older and stronger, Godric," Russell hissed in his ear as Eric tried to get to his maker, but Salome and Nora grabbed him and kept him back. "You're going into that cell and she is being brought here…you are going to change her, or I am going to kill her."

….

Eric looked at his sister as she entered his room the next evening. He had been locked away, not permitted to visit his maker. Looking to his sister, Eric's nostrils flared as she folded her arms over her chest and had the decency to look ashamed.

"Are you happy with yourself?" he demanded from her. "You have never even met her…never even seen him with her…and now you condemn both of them. You cold hearted bitch."

"I did not think this would happen," Nora responded. "I wanted him to join us. I didn't think that they would lock him away or make him turn her like this."

Eric scoffed. "You are part of the Sanguinista movement," he snapped at her. "What did you think that they would do? Let her stay human? Let him go with her? Wise up, Nora."

"I love him," Nora said, protesting loudly. "I love him so much, but this is the right thing to do. Why can you both not see that? He might be happier, Godric. He might be happier if she is with him as a vampire. He can live how he did all of those years ago."

Eric shook his head and stepped closer to his sister. "Amelia might be a pain in the ass. She might be brash…antagonistic…and a prude…but she is _his_. She is Godric's and he loves her. He would do anything for her and I would do anything for him. If you think I am going to sit back and let you do this to her…do this to him…then you are mistaken."

"Eric-"

"-Get out," Eric snapped at Nora. "Get away from me."

Nora began to move away from the room and Eric sunk down to sit at the bottom of the bed, wondering just how he could help his maker.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	51. Chapter 51

Moving to his feet, Godric could hear the commotion. He could sense that she was close. He could hear her protesting. He didn't stay on his feet for long, the UV light shining down on him and causing him to grunt in pain. He was on his knees, cowering like a scared animal. He felt horrific. He was in pain. Godric was able to stand pain, but not like this. He continued groaning as he managed to peer upwards, seeing Amelia being dragged toward him by two men.

"Get the hell off of me!" she snapped loudly as she tried to push them from her, but she failed miserably. Instead one of them pulled the door to the cell open and shoved her in as her eyes finally saw Godric. "What are you doing to him?" she demanded as she saw steam rising from his body. Bending down, she threw her body over his and Godric almost whimpered in slight relief.

She was here. Amelia was back with him. She was back where she belonged.

The light finally went down as the cell door locked once more and Godric took deep breaths in relief. He slowly began to uncurl himself from his ball as Amelia removed her weight from him. She knelt back, sitting on her knees as she moved her hands along his back and to his shoulders once he was sat up and looking at her.

"Amelia," he whispered her name.

"Are you okay?" she asked from him, reaching out a hand to roam his cheek. "What is going on?"

"I need to get you out of here," Godric said quickly and moved to his feet, offering her his hand and hauling her upwards as he looked around. The bars were made of silver. He could have no chance of breaking them. He kept hold of her hand as he paced the cell. It was only when she tugged on his hand did he stop, turning to look back to her as she watched him.

"Hey," she said in a soft voice, "I missed you."

Godric allowed himself a moment to indulge in his emotions as he nodded, bending down and kissing her chastely. He pulled back after a moment, his forehead resting on hers as her eyes opened wide and she peered up to him.

"I missed you too, my love," he responded in a gentle voice. "I saw what happened on the news. I sent Nora to rescue you…knowing that if I went then my actions might be reprehensible."

"She did rescue me," Amelia said as Godric tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Her and some others anyway. She told me that she needs you to join her. She explained the Sanguinista movement…told me that…well…they wanted you to join because of your power."

"I will never join them. They intend to use you as leverage," Godric said, "but I will find a way out of here. I will not let them hurt you."

"Hey," Amelia said to him as he began looking around again and she moved a hand to his cheek, dragging his gaze back to her. "Godric, I don't mind if you have to turn me. You know that. If it keeps us alive then you have to do it. There is no other option."

"There is always an option," he responded. "I have no intention of turning you under force and not like this…not because my progeny threatened me. No. I will not settle."

"I am not seeing many options here," Amelia said to him, but Godric was not listening. It was only as his hand skimmed down to her fingers did he feel the missing ring. He looked down and Amelia followed his gaze before he held her hand up and peered down at it. "My father took it…it is locked up somewhere in Daniel's safe. I couldn't stop them."

"I will get it back," Godric said, his jaw locking as he thought about it being taken from her. "It will be back where it belongs soon enough."

"They gave me another one, but I tossed it as soon as Nora rescued me," Amelia said. "She seemed nice, Godric. I do not understand why she would do this."

"I believe she has been led astray," Godric admitted to her.

"Well she was nice when she came for me and then went all kinds of crazy," Amelia murmured and released Godric's hand and moved around the cell, touching the bar. She assumed they were silver, meaning that Godric could do nothing.

"There is still some of the old Nora inside of her," Godric promised Amelia. "The bars are silver if that is what you were wondering. If I go anywhere near them then I burn…or they put the UV light on. Either way, they make certain I cannot get out."

"They're torturing you," Amelia said, turning her head over her shoulder and looking back at him as he shrugged, not entirely bothered about his own life at that moment in time. Moving toward her, he placed his hand on the small of her back as she turned around fully, her hands going to hold his upper arms. "Just do it, Godric."

"No," Godric said, voice light and high as he moved to wipe his thumb over her cheekbone. "I am thinking of how to deal with this."

It was only then when Godric looked outside of the cell, hearing the door to the prison open. He moved hastily, pushing Amelia behind his body. Standing in front of her, he moved to hold onto her waist as she tried to stand beside him. He refused to permit her through, preferring to keep her back. Moving to stand in front of him, he saw Nora.

Her eyes were red, blood streaming down her cheeks as she watched Godric and he eyed her with caution, uncertain if he could trust her after everything that had happened. He was not entirely convinced that he could.

"Do you love her?"

Nora's question almost caused him to groan.

"I am not-"

"-Do you love her like you love me and Eric?" she interrupted him.

He kept his gaze level and his face passive, not wanting to give anything away. Biting down on his lip, he took a moment before shaking his head.

"I love you and Eric very much, Nora…but not in the same way I love Amelia. You are my children. I created you…I made you…Amelia is different. She is my fiancée, Nora. I want to marry her…bind myself to her…do you not understand that?"

"I…no," Nora admitted to him. "I have never found anyone I wanted to bind myself to."

"Perhaps one day you will," Godric said, "and only then will you understand what you are doing right now."

"I just want you to join us."

"That will never happen," Godric said to Nora. "And somewhere deep down I know that you do not agree with what is happening here. You do not agree with any of it."

"We intend to drink Lillith's blood this evening. Come with us and see the power she has. See that it is right to join the Sanguinista movement. I can have someone guard Amelia and keep her safe."

"No," Godric said and sat down on the cot. "I have no desire to join you."

"Eric is coming."

Godric remained still as Amelia moved to lean against the bar on the other side of the cell, glaring at Nora and hoping that the woman could see just how royally fed up she was with what was happening. Godric spoke again, his voice low and gentle.

"Eric can do as he pleases, but I shall not join you."

"Godric-"

"-No," Godric interrupted her. "If that is the sole reason why you came here then you have had a wasted visit. Please leave."

"But-"

"-I am still your maker," Godric seethed, voice low and dangerous as his hands clenched into fists and Amelia arched a brow in his direction. He turned to the side, his gaze turning dark as he let it settle on Nora. "Do not make me command you. Now. Leave."

Nora scurried off, a hand over her mouth as she sobbed and Amelia went to sit down next to Godric. Resting a hand on his, she let her head fall onto his shoulder as he squeezed her fingers in his cold grip. She said nothing further, choosing to keep silent as Godric pressed a kiss to the top of her head. He was hurt. Nora had hurt him. But more than that, he was angry with the situation he found himself in. He was so very angry.

….

Eric felt drunk. He felt like he had too much alcohol and that was a feeling he had not experience in years, perhaps since he was a human. He had seen the damage and destruction that they had done in the club. The members of the Authority had gone to a nightclub and had drained everyone. Eric had been complicit, watching on as they did that. Their reign of destruction only continued into the night as Eric slowly regained his senses. What was he doing? This was not him. This was not what he believed.

As the night wore on and the Authority spoke about destroying a Tru Blood factor, Eric snuck away, unaware that Nora had seen him. He stumbled back to the Authority's headquarters, wandering into the empty building before going down to the basement. The guard was easy to kill, Eric staking him with a device he had picked up in the small hallway before the cells.

Moving into the cells, Godric pressed a button to open the door to Godric's cell. His maker cautiously walked out, looking down to see Eric stood there. Amelia bounded out after him, bumping into Godric as she peered over his shoulder.

"What have you done, Eric?" Godric asked, seeing the pile of blood on the floor as Amelia wrinkled her nose.

"That smells so bad," she complained.

Rolling his eyes, Eric moved forward, shoulders hunched. "I just came to rescue you and you are complaining?"

"You came to rescue me?"

"I came to rescue my maker, you just happen to be here."

"So sweet," Amelia muttered as Godric took her hand and began to move forwards.

"We need to go," Godric said, "before the others find out what has happened. We need to get out of here."

"And we will," Eric said, "but I wouldn't worry about them. They are out and drunk on Lillith's blood. I have to admit, the taste is sweet and I still feel slightly woozy."

"Whatever they are doing is not right, Eric."

"I saw," Eric said. "I saw what they did and I agree, Godric, but Nora is still my sister. She is still your progeny. We have to help her."

"I know," Godric said, "but I cannot do that here. I need to take Amelia away. Nora is not lost, but I do not know how we can reach out to her."

"Let me," Eric said to him. "Let me stay and bring her home, Godric. Let me bring her back."

"If you stay here then what do you think they will do? They will know that you freed us."

"I can adhere myself to them," Eric said. "I will think of an excuse, but I cannot leave her, Godric. I cannot do that to her. You need to go and take your little human somewhere where they won't find you."

"You know where."

"I know," Eric responded.

Amelia frowned. "Do I know?"

"You know very little," Eric said to her and she merely glared at him. "Come on, Godric. Trust me."

"I do," Godric said. "I just want you to be safe."

"Godric, can we go?" Amelia asked him, beginning to feel anxious about being out of the cell but still inside of the building. He looked down to her and he nodded once.

"Nora will not let anything happen to me," Eric said and Godric nodded, clasping Eric on the shoulder as he looked up to him. "Take her and get away from here."

"Thank you," Godric said sincerely and Amelia looked to the vampire as she stood beside Godric.

It took her a moment before she nodded at him and coughed into her fist. "Thanks, Eric."

"Don't be getting sentimental on me now," Eric warned her. "I'll begin to think you care."

"And we wouldn't want that," Amelia muttered and she swore she saw Eric's lips quirk upwards before she moved away with Godric and he watched the two of them go, knowing that he still had to save his sister.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	52. Chapter 52

Amelia had sat in the back of the cab and fretted as she spoke with Godric. She had begged him to let her call her mother. She had to make sure that she was safe with Jack. She knew that they were both in Italy. She knew that they were both happy and madly in love. If her father had done anything to ruin that then Amelia vowed that she would get her revenge. She would destroy her father for everything that had done. She detested that man. She detested him more than anything.

"Amelia, we need to keep moving," Godric said to her, intending on getting to the airport as quickly as possible. Godric had a plan. He knew that he had to get Amelia as far away as possible from the remaining Authority members. She had to ensure that they could not find her. He had the perfect place. But he did not intend to stay with her. He had to come back and help his progeny. He would see that she was on the flight and ensure that she had security on the other end.

"Godric, if my father thinks that I have left voluntarily then he will hurt my mum. He has eyes on her. Please, Godric. Just let us pull over and I can call her. I have my cell in my bra. Please."

"What is your cell doing there?"

"I didn't want my father to take it from me," she shrugged. "He would never look down there. Please, just pull over and let me call her if you are so worried my phone is being tracked."

Godric sighed and nodded once. He demanded the driver pull over at the nearest pay phone and remained thankful that he had his wallet on him through everything. He demanded for the driver to wait for them until Amelia had called her mother. She launched herself from the car before it had completely stopped and Godric almost scolded her for being reckless. He kept his thoughts in check, however. He kept quiet and followed her to the phone, watching her punch numbers into the machine as Godric fed it quarters.

Once she had finished, she waited with patience as it began to ring. Rocking back and forth on her heels, she felt her entire body shake with fear as she waited for her mother to pick up. She had to pick up.

"Hello?"

It was a man's voice.

"Jack?" Amelia checked.

"Amelia?" he asked her back.

"Thank God, Jack we don't have much time-"

"-We just saw the news," Jack interrupted. "Your mother has being going mad with worry. What are you doing back with him?"

"It wasn't voluntarily," Amelia informed him. "Listen, Jack, we don't have much time. I need you to listen to me. My father has someone watching you both. He needed me to come back with him to help get his political career back on track. He said he would hurt you if I didn't and I went with him. Anyway, I am free now and with Godric…but you both need to get out. You need to go into hiding and be careful."

"Is that her?" Amelia could hear her mother's voice ask and she sighed gently. She did not have time to repeat all of this. Godric was already growing agitated as he kept looking up and down the dark and empty street. Marianna took the phone from Jack and spoke in hushed tones.

"Amelia, what is happening?"

"I explained to Jack, but mom you need to get out. Dad knows where you are. He has people watching you. Listen to me, you need to run and get away from wherever you are."

"Amelia, are you okay?"

"No," Amelia admitted and Godric looked down to her as he saw her bow her head, her gaze flashing to her finger that had once held his ring, but was no empty. "But I will be when this is over. Please, just talk to Jack and go. Call me whenever you are away."

"How will I know who to call?"

"I have my cell," Amelia said. "It is turned off at the moment, but I will transfer the sim to a new cell."

"Amelia, you are scaring me-"

"-Because I am scared," Amelia said to her mother. "You know what father can do. You know he is twisted. Just please, get away and do it discreetly. Promise me."

"I promise," Marianna said without missing a beat. "Are you safe? Is Gordric with you?"

"I have Godric," Amelia promised her mother. "I love you, mom. I will talk to you soon."

"I love you too, darling."

Hanging up, Amelia nodded once as Godric took hold of her hand, squeezing it tightly as he led her back to the cab, his gaze flitting around to ensure that they had not been followed.

…

The sun would rise in another few hours and by then Amelia would be on a plane miles away from America. She would be safe and Godric would not have to panic. Looking to his private jet, he nodded once he saw Jared stood there and waiting. He had called his favoured bodyguard for Amelia and asked him to take her to his safe house. Jared had agreed, seeming to care for Amelia enough to do as Godric had asked of him.

"Amelia," Godric spoke as she nodded to Jared and began walking to the plane. Catching her by her forearm, Godric whirled her around and gathered her into his arms as she placed her hands on his shoulders. He watched her search his gaze, clearly wondering what was going on

"What is it?" she asked him.

"I cannot go," Godric said to her, voice low and soft as her eyes widened. "My love, I cannot come with you."

"What?" Amelia asked him. "Godric, you have to come with me. My father will be looking for you and those batshit crazy Lillith worshippers will be onto you too."

"I know," Godric said to her, his voice hoarse as he moved a hand to cup her cheek, holding it gently. "But I cannot leave Eric. I cannot leave him to deal with Nora and the consequences. I will find a way to deal with this and I will come for you."

"No," Amelia whispered, but Godric heard the lack of defiance in her voice. She knew that he was going to do this. She knew that he had to do this. He had to protect his children. There was no other way. This was the only thing that he could think of doing. He said nothing for a few moments, simply bending down to kiss her for a brief moment, the motion tender and light.

"I'm sorry," Godric whispered to her. "But I have to do this. I have to go and help them. My bond is strong with them and they need me."

"But what…Godric…I hate to play the what if game, but what if something happens to you?" Amelia said, clutching onto his shoulders as he saw her eyes begin to tear up. "I can't do this without you."

"My love, I will endeavour to return you," Godric promised her. "You are the one thing that has seen me through so much. You are my everything…you are my future…but Eric and Nora are my past. They are my past and I cannot leave them."

"I know," was all Amelia offered, knowing how much Godric loved them. It just hurt her that she was powerless to help him. "Tell that stupid Viking that I hate him for dragging you into this."

Godric managed a small smile. "Believe me, my love, I will let you tell him yourself," he said. "Now go. Jared will be with you the whole time. He knows where you are going and he has money…passports…he has everything you need."

"And where are we going?"

"Eric has a farm in Sweden. No one knows of its existence. We have been using the house there as a safe house for many centuries," Godric informed her. "No one will know you are there. I will come and join you as soon as I can."

Nodding, Amelia agreed with him. She suspected she was in no position to argue, but she wanted to try. "Is there nowhere else I can stay? Just to be close…or try to help…"

"No, my love," Godric said. "I need you far away. The further away the better. Your father…the Authority…I need you where they cannot get you. Please, do this for me."

"I don't want to you. You know that, don't you?"

Godric smiled at that. "I know," he said to her with a gentle nod. "But you have to do it."

Amelia remained silent and reached for Godric once more, clasping hold of his cheeks and kissing him forcefully. Godric returned the motion, arms wrapping tightly around her before he pulled back and looked down to her. "Be safe," he urged from her.

"You are the one who needs to be safe," she demanded from him.

"Go," Godric said, voice stern as he urged her to the plane with a nod of his chin. Her warmth was soon gone from his grip. She moved over to the plane and greeted Jared, giving him a brief hug. He let her go up the steps to the plane first before throwing a look to Godric, a short nod of his head. Amelia turned her head over her shoulders at the top of the steps and looked to Godric, a solemn tear slipping down her cheek. Godric could only offer a forced smile. She entered the jet and Godric waited until the plane had left before he took off into the air, knowing what it was he had to do.

….

Sitting in his office, Daniel leaned back, hands behind his head. It had been a long day filled with press interviews, begging for Amelia to be returned to them. He had scoffed at the end of it when he was alone. He wanted nothing to do with the fang banging whore. She had proven herself to be a complete nuisance. All she did was complain and fight him. He had contemplated trying to tame her. He liked a challenge and Amelia Jones was certainly a challenge. There had been times when he had slapped her in the past. But she never seemed to learn. It made him wonder just how he could break her down.

He was interrupted from his thoughts as he whirled around in his chair. He bent down and reached into the cupboard behind him, dialling the code for his safe. It unlocked and revealed folders of Burrell's compound alongside some wads of money. But then he saw the ring. Pulling it from his safe, he looked at the stone and contemplated what he should do with it. He suspected that it might fetch a fair amount of money.

He was about to toss it back into the safe when he heard a grunt from outside. Closing the safe with a kick of his foot, he whirled around and stood up, placing the ring on his desk. He was about to leave his office as he heard another gasp and then a sharp thud. He felt his pulse begin to race and his body stiffened. He was frozen. Something was happening out there.

The door to his office opened slowly and he thought that he had seen Death. His eyes widened and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Lips parted, he struggled to breath, the sound uneven and raspy. Stood in the doorway was the vampire he had sworn he would never fear. He was stood there, his jumper covered in blood, the red liquid smearing his lips and dripping down his chin.

"Jesus Christ," Daniel mumbled.

"Oh, he isn't here," Godric responded. "You will have to deal with me instead."

Closing the door to Daniel's office, he saw the young man begin to fumble in the drawer of his desk. Godric reacted quickly, stopping him from reaching for the gun that laid there. He grabbed his wrist and bent it behind his back, hearing the bone snap as Daniel squealed in pain. Tossing him off to the side, Godric watched him collapse to his knees as he held the gun in his hand. He dismantled the device, throwing it behind him.

"You can have her," Daniel said, his good hand held up in the air in defence. "I don't want her…keep her…"

Godric was in front of him in an instant, knelt down and looking at him as Daniel cowered away.

"She is not yours to give," Godric hissed, his fangs bared as Daniel nodded in agreement.

"I know…fine…yes…" he agreed, willing to do anything at that moment in time. He would say anything to save his own life. He had to. The man in front of him was deranged.

"Now," Godric said, voice calm once more, "I want the ring."

"On the desk," Daniel indicated with his chin and Godric went to check, seeing it there. Picking it up, he deposited it in his pocket and walked slowly around the room. "I…I'll leave her alone…I'll stop…I promise…"

"Oh, I know you will," was all that Godric said to the man. "Where is her father?"

"A rally in Florida," Daniel said. "He flew out this morning."

"I see," was all Godric offered. "Then perhaps this can be a warning."

"No!" Daniel snapped, backing away on his knees as Godric saw that he had a framed photograph of himself and Amelia on his desk. He needed to keep up appearances. Godric smashed the glass and took the picture, throwing it into the fireplace. He would not let Amelia see that. "Don't kill me."

"I have no intention of killing you," Godric said and he swore Daniel looked relieved. "But I do intend on seeing you rot in a jail cell for the rest of your life."

"What?" Daniel asked, but Godric was knelt down in front of him before he could run. Grabbing hold of his chin, he forced his gaze onto his own and began to glamour him. He spoke in a soothing tone, his voice melancholy.

"There are four dead men out there," Godric said. "I made their deaths look like a human could have done it with a knife…a knife that just so happens to be laid by one of their bodies. You did this to them. You killed them in a fit of rage, didn't you?"

"I killed them in a fit of rage," Daniel echoed back.

"You are going to stay here and you are going to tell the police that you did this. You are going to tell them you blacked out afterwards, but you accept full responsibility, understood?"

"I accept full responsibility."

"And if your friends try to get a vampire to unglamour you…or do anything to you…you will tell them this same story. You did this."

"I did this."

"Good," Godric said. "Now go to sleep. I will never see you again."

Daniel fell to the ground and Godric rose to his feet. He covered his tracks, deleting all the CCTV footage and making sure that there was no trace of him left. He smiled to himself before leaving the office and tapping his pocket, knowing that he would get that ring back on Amelia's finger soon. He just had the matter of his progenys to deal with.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	53. Chapter 53

Looking to his two progenys, Godric wondered if he should be on his guard against one of them. Nora was looking at him like she used to look at him. There was that look of love he had grown accustomed to. Watching her intently as they stood in the darkened alleyway, Godric waited for one of them to speak. He had no intention of going first. Luckily, it turned out that Nora had quite a lot that she wanted to get off of her chest.

"Maker," she began, voice low and gentle. "I am so sorry. I did not…I was not thinking clearly."

"And how do I know you are not lying to me?" Godric enquired from her, not entirely certain that he believed all of what he was hearing. It was another moment before he arched a brow in her direction and she thought of words. Eric only continued to stare down at her, letting her handle this mess all by herself. She had dug the hole so she could dig herself back out.

"Because I see that I was wrong," she said. "I drank some of Lillith's blood with Eric and we both had the same vision. It was you, maker. You were killed by Lillith. I saw it then. I saw that she is no good."

"Yeah, and now Bill Compton is high on her blood and lauding it over everyone," Eric scoffed, voice low as his eyes looked to the sky.

"Nora, you know that I love you dearly," Godric said to her and she nodded. "But if you ever do something like that again then I will not be held responsible for my actions. Is that understood?"

"Yes, maker," Nora nodded her head once and Godric tilted his chin upwards.

"So how did you two escape?"

"We are on a PR clean up," Eric said. "Some general came to the Authority after we destroyed the Tru Blood factory. He wanted order…so we snapped his neck. They have sent us to clean up the mess. Salome still trusts Nora."

"And what is your plan really?" Godric enquired.

"Get as far away from this shit as possible," Eric responded. "Godric, we cannot stay here. We need to go and join your meal in Sweden."

"And do you think that will stop them?" Godric wondered. "Once they know that you have betrayed them, do you think they will let that rest? I know what happened to Nan Flanagan."

"That bitch had it coming."

"Perhaps so," Godric could not even disagree with that sentiment. "But she was still killed. We need to think about this logically. We need to do everything that we can to stop them."

"I fear we will not be enough," Nora said.

"We will have to be," Godric said. "Meet me back here tomorrow at sundown. We will devise something for then. For now, we need to part and go our separate ways. I will see you tomorrow."

"Maker," they both mumbled and flew into the sky.

Godric did the same after he had saw them leave, knowing that he was being foolish with where he was going, but he had to see it. He had to see their home. Landing outside the house, Godric walked up the driveway, reaching for his key he kept in his pocket and letting himself in. The house was trashed. There were items laying around, furniture pushed over. Entering the kitchen, he saw Amelia's plate and mug on the dining table. Her laptop was sat on the surface and her books next to them.

But that was not what concerned Godric. Godric had sensed his presence as soon as he entered the house. He knew he was sat at the back of the room in the chair, bathed in darkness. Godric didn't even bother to turn a light on when he spoke.

"I suspect you have been waiting here a while."

"You have had a busy couple of nights, fang," the man responded, voice deep and mocking as he reached for the lamp next to him, turning it on. Godric turned to look to him, remaining stood silently.

"What are you doing here?"

"I know what you did to Daniel," Martin said, but he did not sound irate. Instead, he sounded slightly upbeat. He moved to his feet and flattened his tie against his chest, nodding his head slowly up and down. "It was impressive, I have to say."

"I do not know what you are talking about," Godric said, not knowing if this man had a recording device on him. He would not admit to anything incriminating. Martin chuckled, pointing at him and wagging his finger.

"Clever," he commented. "Very clever."

"I will ask again; what are you doing here?" Godric said, slowly knowing that he would lose his temper. There was only so long he could remain passive for in the company of a man who had hurt Amelia.

"I came to tell you that if it is war you want then it is war you have got," Martin said coyly. "You see, your little plan of shipping Amelia off to Sweden didn't get you that far."

Godric frowned. "You've have her followed?"

"God, no," Martin chuckled. "That would have been too much effort. No, of course not. Her mother never made it out of Italy quickly enough. One of my men caught them sneaking onto a train. I didn't kill her or that fang, but it was enough to bring Amelia out of hiding."

Godric reacted then, grabbing Martin by his throat and slamming him against the wall. The man didn't even flinch. He acted like he had expected this to happen. Godric continued snarling, his fangs bared as he did his best to restrain himself. It would be so easy to snap his neck.

"If I don't walk out of here then I have given my men instructions to kill Amelia's mother's lover," Martin said. "And believe me, if Amelia found out, do you think she would be happy?"

"What do you want?" Godric demanded from him.

"I need her," Martin hissed. "I need her to be the dutiful daughter. I need her for my career. Do you not get that? All of these stories she has…I need her to denounce them."

"Why do you insist on torturing her?" Godric demanded. "I swear that I will not let you do this. You will not get away with this. Amelia is better than this. Amelia will always be better than this."

"Perhaps," he responded, "but she will do what I need her to do and that is the end of that, isn't it?"

"I will stop you."

"I look forward to that," Martin said as Godric dropped him. He could not kill him, not tonight. He knew what was at stake. Amelia's mother was so important to her. She was the one who had helped them at the beginning, despite sitting back and letting Amelia suffer. She was the one they could trust. Amelia would be devastated if something happened to her mother. She would not be able to handle it.

"So," Martin said, "I have to go and pick my daughter up from the airport in the next few hours. Stay away from her. I swear that it will be the last thing that you do if you come for her. You have no idea the power that we have…Burrell and I…but you will see. One day you will see."

Godric had no idea what he was talking about. He had no idea what was going through this man's mind, but he did not push. Instead he was busy plotting his move. He was plotting exactly what he needed to do and he knew that it would not be easy. It was not a simple ride, but he would do it. For Amelia, he would do anything.

Martin straightened out his crumpled shirt and looked to Godric for a second. "Goodbye, Godric. I will see you later, I hope."

…

Sitting down at the dining table, Amelia was doing her best not to look too morbid. She had been backed with her father for almost a week. In that week she had heard nothing from Godric. There had not been a word from him. She wondered if he understood why she had done this. She had been given no choice. Her mother deserved happiness. Amelia was willing to put her happiness before her own.

The restaurant they were in was busy, waiters bustling around with plates of food and wine every two minutes. She had been dragged to dinner with her father, Governor Truman and his daughter, Willa. Amelia had not even bothered to complain after her father had told her that was where they would be going. Complaining very rarely got her anywhere nowadays. She let her mind wander to Godric as she wished he were here. He would never make her endure tedious meals.

But she had seen the facility. She had seen the facility the Governor had built and that her father had a hand in making with his research. She had felt sick when she had been shown around. Vampires were being used as experiments. They were being tortured. Amelia had threatened to go to the police as she saw one of them being staked after losing in some kind of mental activity.

But her father had stood behind her, his hand going to her neck to push her hair out of the way as he bent down and whispered in her ear: "You go to the police and I will ruin your mother."

And then Amelia had backed down. She had snatched his hand from her and left the room, leaving him smirking behind her.

"Excuse me for a moment," Amelia said, "I just need to use the bathroom."

She placed her napkin on the table and moved among the tables to the restrooms. They were vast and plush, seats lined up in the middle and the stalls around the edge. She held the door open for a woman who walked out. The woman looked at her for a moment and Amelia knew what she was thinking. She either pitied her or thought she was a liar. Amelia did not look at her long enough to find out.

Thankfully the bathroom was empty as she went to the wash basin and splashed cold water on her hands and wrists, hoping that would cool her down. Looking up, she barely had time to react as she felt a presence behind her. She was about to whirl around, but she was too slow. An arm went around her waist as he hauled her back into one of the stalls, a hand covering her mouth. Amelia protested as he shut the door and let her go. Whirling around, she didn't even see his face. He was too tall for that. Looking up, she caught the eye of Eric Northman. Resting a hand on the door to the stall, Eric dropped his other hand to his hip.

"Eric," she said surprised.

"Ta-da," Eric drawled sarcastically. "Listen, I don't have much time. I have business to attend to. Godric sent me."

"Where is he?" Amelia asked, voice eager. "Is he safe? Is he doing okay?"

"Godric is fine," Eric said. "He keeps getting involved with you, which means he is never safe. He is on his way to Italy."

"Italy?"

"He intends to rescue your mother and her sugar daddy," Eric said. "Once he has them somewhere safe and with new identities where your father cannot find them then he has promised he will come for you."

"He…he's doing that for me?" Amelia asked him and Eric rolled his eyes.

"Pathetic, I know," he drawled and Amelia shot him a glare. "Anyway, he told me to tell you that he needs you to wait for him. He is going to be as quick as he can and he will get you away from this."

"And what are you doing here? I thought the Authority might have killed you."

"They can try," he gave her a slim smirk. "The Authority are another issue, but they do not concern you. I am dealing with it and I am dealing with something else…some secret hidden vampire facility. Care to explain what that is about?"

"Eric, it is horrific," Amelia said to him, folding her arms over her chest. "They are torturing vampires. Governor Burrell is the one running things but obviously my father wants in on it."

"Obviously," Eric echoed back. "Listen to me, I need you not to do anything brash. I have got this."

"Got what?" she asked and her eyes widened as he remained silent. "The facility? Eric, if they catch you-"

"-Your concern is touching," he interrupted her. "Now, I have to go. You go back out and play the dutiful daughter. Wait for Godric to come."

Before Amelia could protest at his plan, he was leaving the bathroom. Disappearing through the window before she could call him back, she huffed and dropped her hands to her hips as Willa entered the restroom, her face showing concern as she looked at Amelia.

"You father sent me to check up on you."

"I am fine," Amelia lied, plastering a smile onto her face. "I just…you know…time of the month."

Amelia saw Willa nod and turn away as she shot one final glance to the window, hoping Eric knew what he was doing.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	54. Chapter 54

Amelia sat in her bedroom, changed into her pyjamas after having gone to the gym to work out. It has been a week since she had seen Eric and she was still waiting for Godric to come back. She wondered how he would make his appearance known. He couldn't exactly sweep in. Her father had eyes on her like a hawk and she knew that Godric would know that. He was no fool. She often found herself sitting in the window seat of her bedroom and peering onto the back yard, wondering where he was. She had kept her phone on her, hidden from her father. She turned it on every so often, but there were no messages.

She finished tying her damp hair into a ponytail and stood up, moving to the window again and pushing it open. Breathing in the air, it was still warm in the evening. It was hot and sticky, enough to make her contemplate changing into shorter pyjamas. Amelia closed the window again as she heard a knock on the door. She frowned and moved to the wooden plank, opening it to reveal her father stood there, dressed in his dinner suit still. His face was like thunder.

"Did you know?" he demanded from her, grabbing hold of her arm and hauling her into her bedroom, slamming her door shut as she struggled in his grip and he took her by both arms then, his face inches from her. "Did you know what he was going to do?"

"You're hurting me!" Amelia shouted at him, trying to push him from her as she felt herself back against the wall.

"Your mother!" he simply snarled and Amelia figured that it would be best to plead ignorance. She didn't want to be on the wrong side of his temper. "She got away. Someone told her that I had people watching her. I have no idea where she has gone."

"It wasn't me," Amelia said with a firm shake of her head. "I haven't had a chance to tell her since I was taken and then I've been back with you and you've not let me out of your sight. Please…let me go."

Martin did as she had asked then, dropping his daughter from his grip as she slumped back against the wall, feeling the pressure from where he had gripped her. She knew there would be bruises. She felt her eyes sting with tears as Martin grabbed hold of the books on her nightstand and tossed them against the wall. She cowered in the corner, feeling like a frightened teenager all over again. All she had wanted to do was please her parents as a little girl. She just wanted them to be proud, but everything she did was never good enough. She got an A? They would say aim for an A*. She would never win.

"Someone told her," he snapped at her. "Was it that vampire of yours? Did you tell him?"

"Godric knows not to come for me," Amelia said, feeling herself getting deeper in the lie. "I told him that I didn't want to be with him anymore."

"And why would you do that, hmm?" Martin asked her, hands on his hips after he had pulled his tie loose. "Your mother is free now. Why would you not want your fang to come and rescue you like some pathetic princess in a tower."

"Because I know what you would do to him if he came," Amelia said. "I know that you have men watching me all of the time. I know that you have that facility of yours that you would send him to if he even dared to come close to me. I…I'm not risking him. I don't want to risk him."

Martin tilted his chin upwards then and took a few seconds to contemplate what he was hearing from his daughter. Was this the truth? He didn't know. He didn't know if he could trust her. But she looked defeated. She looked like she had given up. Had she? He didn't know. He would need to watch her for a while.

"How do I know if I can trust you?"

"Because I love him," Amelia said as if it were obvious and she wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling cold as her father's penetrative stare moved over her form. "I know that you don't like me. I know that you think I am pathetic and I have never lived up to your standards, but I am still your daughter. I am your daughter and I am telling you the truth about Godric."

Martin watched her move over to the window and perch down in the seat. She drew her knees to her chin, hooking her arms around her legs as Martin tentatively moved to sit down next to her.

"I wanted you to be perfect, Amelia," he said to her.

"Perfect doesn't exist," she replied.

"It does for me," he responded. "You were a good girl at one stage, but then you went to college and that all changed."

"I discovered my independence," she responded to him. "And I realised that I could have fun."

"And that involved fucking fangs?" her father enquired and Amelia shook her head, once again finding herself having to bite her tongue.

"Do you not get it?" she asked from him. "I loved Will, dad."

Martin looked away then and Amelia rolled her eyes.

"And you could not just marry Daniel, could you?"

"I don't love Daniel."

"And do you think we always get what we want, Amelia?" he demanded from her, voice a snarl as he shook his head. He didn't want to get into this with his daughter, but he suspected he was about to. "Fangs are dangerous, do you not see that? They kill senselessly. They do not have any regard for human life. I tried to protect you from that. I tried to keep you safe and you went and cavorted with the enemy."

"But they are not all evil," Amelia replied. "There are bad humans, aren't there? We all make a choice. You cannot tar them all with the same brush."

"Yes, I can," he said, "because they are not right."

"Dad," Amelia groaned loudly and she uncurled herself from her ball. "I don't want to get into this with you. We are never going to agree, but I just need you to believe that I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going to risk Godric like that."

"Glad to hear it," he said to her and moved to his feet as Amelia watched him go to the door.

"Dad?" she called after him and he turned around to look to her. "Do you love me?"

Martin said nothing for a few moments and Amelia knew it shouldn't be that difficult. It should be an instant reaction, he shouldn't need to think about it. He shouldn't even look concerned.

"You're my daughter," he offered her. "And that will never change."

He left her bedroom then and Amelia went to lay on her bed, clasping her hands over her stomach. "That answers that then."

…

Amelia didn't want to go with her father to the facility, but she had been given no choice. Apparently he had something that he wanted her to see. She had complained for a few moments before he glared at her and that had shut her up. Entering the main control room, Amelia startled at the sight of the tall, blonde woman in a tight fitting blue dress. Sarah Newlin. Sarah Newlin was draped over Governor Burrell and she had a smile that looked like Christmas had come early.

"Martin!" Sarah cooed as soon as she saw him and rushed forwards, embracing him briefly before acknowledging Amelia. "And your daughter has come home! I am so happy to see you have come home. It must have been horrible having been kidnapped by that vampire."

"Torrid," Amelia drawled and only Martin picked up on her sarcastic tone.

"Well, you will want to see this," Sarah said, clapping once. "We found that vampire's progeny!"

"This fucker turned my daughter into one of them," Burrell said and Amelia frowned. Willa? What was he talking about? And whose progeny had they found? Amelia had her answers soon confirmed when she saw Eric Northman through the glass screen. She felt her stomach begin to churn and her face paled as she stumbled forwards, closer to the glass that looked into a large white room.

Eric was dressed in a blue pyjama suit and his eyes were inquisitive as he looked around. Amelia looked back to her father and Burrell. She shook her head Sarah draped herself over Burrell.

"You can't do this," she said to them. "You need to let him go."

"We can't do that," Burrell said. "You see, he turned my daughter into one of them. He corrupted my little girl and he ruined her. I had to bring her here because of him. He will suffer."

"No," Amelia said.

Eric looked to the glass. He could hear her voice. They had brought her here. Amelia was in that room and she was trying to save him. Eric wondered exactly where Godric was. Where was his maker? What was he doing? He wondered what he should do.

It was another moment later when Governor Burrell spoke into the microphone to Eric. "My baby girl came home the other night," he spoke. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that?"

"Hmm," Eric murmured. "Fuck you."

"No, fuck you for taking her from me and fuck you for making me intern her here," Burrell said and Eric looked shocked at what he was hearing. This was not part of his plan. Clearly, he had another plan.

"You brought her here?" Eric asked.

"I had no other chance," Burrell said. "Did you think that I would abandon my principles because you turn my daughter into the very thing I hate most?"

"Stop it," Amelia demanded and Eric almost felt slightly protective over the young woman as he heard her through the microphone. "Let him go!"

"No can do, Amelia," Burrell said. "He is going to suffer for what he has done."

It was then when the other door opened and they saw Pam enter the room. She squinted in the light room and Amelia gulped as she saw a stake in the middle of the room then.

"You see, you took the very thing I loved the most from me," Burrell said. "So, I want you to take the life of the very thing you love most…or you will die."

Amelia looked down at the control panel then, wondering what she could do. All she knew was that she wasn't going to let Eric die inside of that cage with Pam. She saw the button she suspected she could press. It was to open the door. It said door open, so she suspected it would do just that. Amelia noticed Burrell still held the microphone on and she moved quickly.

"Eric, run!" she yelled loudly as she lunged for the button and the door opened quickly.

Eric and Pam reacted, moving towards the open door as Martin roared at his daughter to stop, his voice full of rage as Burrell looked to her and Sarah removed herself from his grip. Standing up straight, Amelia let go of the button as Martin grabbed hold of her upper arm, whirling her around to face him.

"What the hell are you playing at?" he demanded from her, "you stupid bitch!"

"You can't do this. It is wrong."

"Sir, we apprehended the vampires." A guard walked into the room and informed them. "We have him being moved to isolation in a cage."

"Thank you," Burrell said. "And your daughter, Martin, is proving to be a pain in the ass. You need to get her in hand. I suggest putting her with the vampire while she watches what should happen to them."

"What does that mean?" Amelia asked as Martin kept hold of her, his grip vice like. "What is going on?"

"She has prior knowledge of Hep V, doesn't she?" Burrell asked Martin and Amelia shook her head. This couldn't be it. This couldn't be happening. She wouldn't think back about that. She wouldn't let them do this.

"No," Amelia said again. "You can't do that…not again."

"She can watch him be injected," Burrell said. "Your daughter needs to see-"

"-Your daughter is a vampire," Amelia interrupted him. "I do not think he needs parenting advice from you, besides, you are about ten years too late to give that advice."

"Come on," Martin demanded from her and he dragged her from the room as she struggled to comprehend what was going to happen. They didn't find a cure before. They wouldn't find a cure now. And where the hell was Godric when she needed him?

"You cannot do this," Amelia said to her father. "You cannot do this again."

"We have perfected the virus," he said to her. "Don't worry. The suffering will be even more intense this time."

Moving down the corridors, Martin pushed the door open to reveal Eric in a cage. He was chained up and Amelia stumbled into the room as Martin stood in the doorway. "You can have five minutes. Don't try to free him. There is no use."

Martin shut the door and locked her in as Amelia looked over to Eric and he arched a brow in her direction. "I don't suppose you have some elaborate plan to get us out of here?"

"I tried that earlier," she said. "I will think of something. I am not letting them inject you with Hep V."

"I get a feeling you might not have much choice," Eric said to her. "You're outnumbered here."

"I know," Amelia responded. "But where is Godric, Eric?"

"He was on his way back from Italy the last time I heard," Eric said to her. "Has he not been in contact?"

"No," Amelia responded. "I need him…I don't know what to do."

"I do," Eric said to her. "Listen to me, I need you to do me a favour. Nora is in this facility and I need to get to her."

"What do you want me to do?"

"The guard on the door. Get him in here," Eric said. "I need you to just make him look at me and I can glamour him. They're trained not to look at us and some have contact lenses."

"And if this one doesn't?" Amelia asked him.

"Let's just hope he does," Eric grunted.

Amelia wasn't entirely convinced by this plan. But she went along with it. Banging on the door, she tried to sound distressed as she shouted for help. She tried to begin crying as the guard opened the door and looked down to her. She moved quickly as he entered the room.

"What is it?" he asked from her.

She moved to cling to him, acting frantic as she panted for breath. "He's a monster! He…the things he said he would do to me…please…let me out of here…"

"It's alright, Miss," he said to her and took hold of her upper arms.

"Thank you," Amelia said, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him no choice but to look over her shoulder and directly into Eric's eyes for a moment. That was all he needed.

"Go to sleep," Eric demanded and the guard dropped to the ground.

Amelia composed herself and reached into his pocket, finding the key that she needed. Pulling it free, she unlocked the cage Eric was in, knowing that wouldn't have much time. Her hands shook as Eric was finally free and he looked down to her. "We need to get Nora and get out of here," he said. "They'll be coming for us in a moment."

"Change into the guard's clothing," Amelia said and Eric had done that in seconds and she nodded. "Do you know where they would keep Nora?"

"No, but I can sense her," Eric said. "Come on."

Amelia had no time to react as Eric grabbed hold of her and slung her over his shoulder. She was about to protest, but he had used his vampire speed to run down the corridors as alarms started blaring. They knew that Eric had gone missing. Coming to the corridor Nora was being kept in, Eric early broke the necks of the guards on duty before putting Amelia down onto the ground and she resisted the urge to vomit.

"Nora," Godric said as soon as he saw his sister. "Come on."

He unchained her from where she was and she moved quickly, kissing Eric on the cheek before seeing Amelia dressed in a long sleeved green dress and dark tights. She looked prim and proper, much like she had done when Nora had first seen her.

"How do we get out of here?" Eric asked.

"Change into that doctor's outfit," Amelia urged Nora, seeing the dead body in the corner from Eric's attack. "Go…I will go back and find-"

"-I can't leave you," Eric interrupted her.

"I stick out like a sore thumb," Amelia said. "You two can blend in. Now go. Find me…get Godric and come and find me."

Eric could only watch her run off back down the corridors and he cursed under his breath. He really was in debt to Amelia Jones.

…

Amelia gasped for breath as she lay down on her bed that evening. She had tried not to look upset by what her father had said to her, but she couldn't stop. He had yelled at her. He had told her what he really thought about her and then he had slapped her, not just once, but three times. He had locked her in her bedroom for what she had done, stating that she was an embarrassment. Amelia had been about to get changed, her tights ripped on her knees after she had fallen over in the corridor. But then she saw him. She thought she was hallucinating as she watched him hover at the window.

Moving slowly to the window, she reached down and unlocked it, lifting it up as he saw her. Her cheeks were red and she had been crying.

"Let me in, darling," he urged her.

"Godric, come in."

He was there in moments, sweeping her into his embrace and holding her to him, a hand fisting into her hair as she buried her face into his neck. Godric pressed his cheek against the top of her head as he exhaled a shaky breath.

"How did you get in?"

"The guards on duty…well…let's just say they will wake up with a headache," he said to her. "I should have come sooner. I have been watched, my love. I couldn't risk coming after you until I dealt with who was following me. I think your father has some trailing me."

"Can we go?" Amelia asked him, voice pleading as she pulled back to look to him and Godric pressed a hand to her stinging cheek and his nostrils flared as his fangs threatened to drop. Amelia knew what he was thinking. He wanted to go and kill her father. "Please, Godric, he's not worth it. Just take me away, please?"

Looking down to her as she spoke, Godric regained his temper and nodded once. He bent down and picked her up with ease, letting her move her arms around his neck. He went to the window and flew off, knowing that he would have his revenge on that man one day soon.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	55. Chapter 55

Amelia looked at the mansion they had just landed outside of and she frowned. Looking to Godric as he lowered her to the ground, he kept hold of her hand inside of his and began to move up the porch. She grabbed hold of his forearm with her free hand, stopping him from moving any further. She let her brows furrow together.

"Do we trust him?" she asked Godric as she saw Bill Compton open the front door. He looked different to the last time she had seen him. His hair was neatly cut and he was dressed in a black sweatshirt and jeans. He almost had a dangerous look to him.

"He means us no ill will," Godric promised Amelia in a soft and gentle whisper, turning to look back to her. She had heard how Bill had turned to Lillith. Godric bent down and pecked Amelia on the lips for a brief moment. He seemed solemn. He looked upset. There was something going on.

"Miss Jones," Bill greeted Amelia as she finally agreed to follow Godric into the house. "Good to see you again."

"Hi," Amelia managed to speak.

"Is she okay?" Godric asked as they entered the hallway and Bill closed the door. He lowered his gaze and that told Godric all that he needed to know. He shook his head and looked up the staircase. He could hear her laboured breathing. He knew that there was nothing that he could do. He couldn't save her.

"What is going on?" Amelia asked, looking between the two men as Godric looked back down to her, squeezing her hand tightly in his grasp. "Something is wrong."

"Come," Godric urged from her and Bill stepped off into his office, leaving them to have time to themselves. Following Godric up the staircase, Amelia walked one pace behind him before coming to the top of the steps. Walking down the landing towards the open door, Amelia peered over Godric's shoulder as they stood in the doorway.

Amelia's mouth gaped open wide and she shook her head. How could this have happened? She didn't understand. She had helped them escape. They had been fine when that had happened.

"How?" Amelia asked, moving past Godric and letting go of his hand as she walked further into the bedroom.

Eric remained on the other side of the bed, his eyes streaming with blood. Looking over to Amelia, he almost wanted to yell at her. He wanted to blame her for what had happened. She had freed them. She had helped them escape. Perhaps if she hadn't have done that then they would still be in that place, but they wouldn't have been injected with this disease. His sister would still be fine.

"We were near the exit," Nora said, struggling for breath as she sat up on the bed and Amelia stepped closer to her. "We didn't see him approaching. We didn't see anyone…we were trying to break the door open and he injected me."

"You need blood," Amelia said, a moment of a flashback coming to her as she remembered Will. He had looked the same as Nora now did. His body had been covered in veins. He had struggled to breath. Rolling the sleeves to the green dress she wore up to her elbows, she looked to Godric. "If we can give her blood then it can buy us time. I can go back and try to find a cure."

"I…I don't think we have time for that," Nora said to Amelia and the young woman shook her head and went to sit down on the edge of the bed. She hadn't met Nora before, not the true Nora. But she knew that she meant a lot to Eric and Godric. She had to help her.

"I can bargain," Amelia said to her. "I can negotiate to get the cure…go back to them and give them what they want."

"No," Nora said before Godric could speak. All that the vampire could do was stand in the doorway and watch his child and fiancée speak. He had never imagined this happening. He never imagined his child would be killed like this.

Nora looked to Amelia and after a moment she dared to take hold of her hand. Looking her in the eye, she gasped for a sudden breath before speaking, her voice slightly shaky as she did so. "You don't owe me anything," Nora said to her. "I…I'm only upset that we never go to know each other, not properly anyway. I never meant for this to happen. I should never have done what I did to you or Godric. I was wrong and I apologise for that. I apologise for doing that."

"It is long forgotten," Amelia said with a wave of her hand. "But let me try to help you."

"No," Nora said firmly. "They won't be interested and even if they were, I don't want that. Godric…he is my maker and I love him so much and I want him to be happy and I see now. You make him happy. I am not risking that again."

"This isn't fair," Amelia said with a shake of her head. "I wanted you to escape. I needed you to escape."

"You did all that you could," Nora promised her and she squeezed her hand. "Just promise me that you'll look after him, okay? Look after Godric."

"I will," Amelia promised her and Nora smiled once, letting go of Amelia's hand.

Moving over to Godric, Amelia looked to him as he continued watching Nora. Eric was back by her bedside in an instant, kneeling in front of her as she clung onto him. Amelia touched Godric's forearm for a moment and nodded to the bed. He should be there. He needed to be there. Bending down to kiss her on the top of her head, Godric walked to the bed and sat the other side of Nora, an arm going over her shoulders to comfort her.

Amelia left the room, giving the three of them the privacy that they needed. She went back downstairs, uncertain of where to go. But she didn't need to go far. Bill was in the doorway to his office, looking to her with an intense stare. She almost startled at seeing him there, but she contained herself.

"There is a spare bedroom if you are feeling tired," Bill said to her. "Although I suspect you can't sleep."

"I'm fine," Amelia said, "thanks."

"Well, make yourself at home," Bill said to her. "I have work that I need to do."

"You know what they are doing, don't you?" Amelia asked Bill, her voice soft as he sighed and nodded his head once. "Aren't you the King? Shouldn't you be doing something?"

"I intend to," he assured her. "I just need to find out the best way to go about it. What do you know?"

"You want my inside information?

"It wouldn't hurt."

"Okay," Amelia said and followed him into his office. She would help anyway that she could, even if that meant working with Bill Compton.

…

Godric felt a piece of himself break as soon as Nora was gone. It had been quicker than he had imagined it would be, but it had been more painful. Godric had never lost a progeny before and now he only hard Eric left. Looking to his son as he stopped crying, he noted how Eric's face turned to one of thunder. Furrowing his brows, Godric wondered what was going on in the brash vampire's mind. He said nothing as Eric stormed off, leaving the room with heavy footsteps.

"Eric," Godric called after him.

But Eric was already down the stairs. He slammed the doors open the Bill's office and walked in, arms outstretched as he saw Amelia turned around in her chair to look to him. Bill stood up, sensing that something was not quite right with Eric's arrival. Godric was behind him in a matter of seconds.

"This is all your fault," Eric hissed at Amelia and she moved to her feet as he advanced towards her, glaring down at her. "She is dead because of you!"

"Eric," Godric snarled at his progeny, moving with speed towards him. He stood in front of Amelia, pressing a hand to Eric's chest to keep his distance. "You are upset. This is not her fault."

"It was her father," Eric hissed.

"And she is not her father," Godric responded, snapping loudly. "She tried to save you. She helped you escape. What happened is not her fault. Do not blame her. Do not go near her. Do you understand me?"

Eric only emitted a low growl from his throat before turning on his heel and leaving. Amelia gulped once, wondering if she had ever seen Eric look at her with so much hatred. She knew that he didn't necessarily like her, but she never thought that he could hate her.

"Come on," Godric said to Amelia, taking her by the hand, giving her no chance to resist him. He turned to look to Bill and nodded once. Bill only nodded back, sensing that everything was finished. Nora was gone.

Amelia followed Godric out of the house, struggling to keep up with his pace as her imagination ran wild. A part of her felt sick at what had just happened. She was quiet as Godric unlocked his car and held the passenger door open for Amelia. As she climbed to get in, he took hold of her waist and she looked up to him, her stare vacant and empty.

"Do not listen to him," Godric urged from her, voice soft and calming. "He is angry, Amelia. He is lashing out. You know how he is."

"I was only trying to help," Amelia said, her voice breaking slightly as she looked to Godric. "I just wanted to help, Godric."

"And you did," he said to her. "None of this is your fault, Amelia."

"I'm sorry," Amelia said to him. "I'm sorry that you lost her…"

"As am I," Godric said to Amelia and wrapped his arms around her as she embraced him back. She ran her hands up and down his back, crumpling his shirt. He placed his chin on top of her head, one hand holding the back of her head as her cheek pressed against his neck. "She was good, Amelia. She was kind…loving…everything that was good."

"I know," Amelia said, despite having only known her for a short period. But she sensed that she was a good person. She had just been misled for a short period of her life. But Godric knew people and he clearly knew Nora.

Bending down to kiss her on the top of her head, he let her go after a moment. "Let's go home."

…..

Walking into their house as the morning threatened to break, Amelia looked around. The house was still a mess after it had been raided. She sighed, knowing that she had to clean up, but that would be an issue for another day. Looking to Godric, she arched a brow as he went to place the kettle on the stove, clearly not bothered by the mess. Amelia watched him place a teabag in her mug as she stood in the kitchen, arms folded over her chest.

"Do you think it is wise for us to be here?" she asked Godric.

"I was thinking this," Godric said to her, "but if I hear any disturbance then we will flee, but I will not be scared to return to my own home."

"We need to do something," Amelia said to him. "They cannot get away with what they are doing in that place."

"I know," Godric promised her. He was slowly thinking of what he could do. He knew that there had to be something that he could do, but he was not going to rush in and be brash. That would be too dangerous. "I am thinking of something, my love."

"It was horrible," Amelia said to him, wandering to the sofa in the corner of the open planned living space. She sat down as Godric left the water to boil. Pulling her knees up to her chin, she hooked her arms around them and Godric went to sit besides her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I never thought I would see Hep V again, Godric. I didn't think that my father would ever be able to replicate it again."

"There has to be a cure," Godric said in a whisper. "Somewhere out there, there has to be a cure."

"I agree," Amelia said to him, voice small and gentle. "But he will never give it to me. Why would he?"

"I know," Godric responded and leaned his head back, closing his eyes for a moment. "A part of me feels broken, Amelia. Losing Nora…I feel like I am missing a part of myself and I do not know how to stop the pain. I never felt this."

"I don't know what to say," Amelia admitted to him, looking up to him.

"There is nothing to say," he assured her, running his thumb over her shoulder before letting his cheek rest on the top of her head. "I can do nothing for her now, Amelia. All I can do is avenge her, which is what I fully intend to do."

Amelia said nothing, wondering exactly what Godric's plan was.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


	56. Chapter 56

Godric awoke the next night, feeling a sense of loss inside of him. He had been thinking about Nora and when he had changed her. He had lived over two thousand years and had only just turned two vampires. He had never turned anyone else or wanted to. Nora had been special. He had known that as soon as Eric had brought her to him. But now of course he had Amelia. He could potentially turn another human.

Looking to her as she slept next to him, Godric bent down and brushed her hair from her face. She didn't even stir from her sleep. She was peaceful and completely out of it. She looked completely untroubled. She had a hand stuffed under her pillow and her mouth was slightly open, threatening to drool on the pillow. Looking to the ring on her finger, Godric was glad that it was back where it belonged.

He had given it to her the night before after telling her what had happened to her former fiancé. She had been slightly shocked to begin with, but then she had agreed with Godric that he had done the right thing. She wanted Daniel to suffer for what he had done to Will. Staying in prison for years seemed like a great punishment.

Moving from the bed, Godric changed silently and went downstairs. He set about cleaning up, using his vampire speed to get the house back to how it was. He began cooking after then, sensing that Amelia would be hungry when she woke up. He was just finishing cooking her a pasta bake, considering their cupboards were on the verge of being empty, when she walked into the kitchen. She wore her long sleeved flannel pyjamas and had pulled her hair into a messy ponytail.

"You're cooking," Amelia observed, slipping down the kitchen as Godric placed the pasta in the oven to finish baking. He straightened himself up as she wrapped her arms around his waist and dropped her chin to his shoulder. "You know, I might just have to marry you."

Godric's lips arched at hearing her speak like that. "You might," he agreed with her and she kissed him on the cheek before turning to face him and he ran his hands along her shoulders, looking down to her with a soft gaze. "Did you sleep well?"

"Well enough," she said to him. "Obviously I kept thinking about what we should do."

"I confess I am thinking the same thing," Godric said to her, moving quickly and wrapping his arms around her waist, hauling her upwards until she was sat on the worktop counter. She ran her hands through his hair as he kept his on her waist, stepping in between her legs. "They cannot be allowed to get away with that facility. It is a monstrosity."

"But what do we do?" Amelia wondered from Godric. "You know that Eric turned Burrell's daughter, right?"

"I know," Godric said. "It was foolish of him to think that would change the Governor's mind, but Eric has always been slightly naïve. We need a way to stop them and I think that there is only one person who might be able to help."

"Who?"

"Bill Compton."

"Are you kidding? What can he do?"

"He is still the King," Godric said. "Plus, I believe he has taken some of Lillith's blood. If that is the case then he could be stronger and more dangerous than any other vampire."

"Jesus Christ," Amelia mumbled to herself and let her head roll back as Godric leant forwards, his cheek pressing into the hollow of her throat as he held her tightly, his body flush against hers. Amelia moved back, her cheek sitting on top of his head as she kept running her hands through his hair. "The Authority has been compromised…and now we are relying on Bill Compton."

"I don't like this anymore than you," Godric promised her and he felt her kiss the top of his head softly. "But we must do what is necessary to save the vampires in that facility."

"And Eric?"

"He is safe. I would have sensed if something was wrong," Godric promised her. "He will come back eventually. He just lashed out. He was angry."

"He is always angry with me," Amelia mumbled and Godric picked his head up and looked to her as she moved her own. He searched her gaze for a moment and shrugged.

"Eric is Eric," was all that he offered her.

"Eric is a pain in the ass," Amelia grunted. "Regardless, we should find him. He needs you."

"I know," Godric admitted as he heard the timer ding on the oven for dinner. He let go of Amelia and bent down to pull the dish out as she jumped down from the worktop. Placing the dish on the chopping board, Godric was about to grab a plate, but Amelia was already next to him with a fork, digging into the food. Arching his brow, Godric looked amused for a brief moment.

"You do not want cutlery?" he questioned her.

"Saves on washing up," Amelia shrugged, shoving a forkful of food into her mouth and then letting her eyes roll into the back of her head. After she had finished chewing that mouthful, she looked to Godric. "You know, it is really impressive how you manage to cook like this considering you don't even taste your own food."

"I see it as a skill," he responded with a sly smirk. "I should go and try to find Eric, Amelia. Would you be okay staying here for a little while?"

"Sure," Amelia said, not wanting to get in the middle of whatever was going to happen between Godric and Eric. Bending down once more, Godric pecked her on the cheek as she continued eating before squeezing her shoulder and leaving her to go and find his progeny.

….

Finding Eric had been easier than Godric had anticipated. He had found him in Fangtasia, but it turned out that he had had a visitor. Bill had been to see him after he had heard that Jessica had been taken and put into the facility. Eric knew that Bill would do anything for Jessica and Eric simply wanted revenge for what had happened in the facility. He would not let people get away with what had happened.

"If you have come here to yell at me then don't bother," Eric said to his maker as he sensed him enter the empty bar. Ginger looked to Godric as she remained stood behind the bar. She was dressed in a tight fitting black dress, her hair piled on top of her head.

"I have come here to see how you are," Godric informed him. "Although I am also inclined to yell at you for the way you spoke to Amelia."

Eric merely grunted at that moment.

"She is not to blame, Eric, and you know that. You have placed the blame on her far too often when she is innocent and has done nothing but try to help," Godric continued. "We are both hurting."

Looking to Ginger, Eric gave her a sharp nod, urging for her to leave. She tilted her head to the side and moved off into the back room. Eric folded his arms on the bar and let his head droop downwards.

"She deserved better," Godric said to him. "She deserved so much more."

"And look what she got," Eric said in a hiss.

"I know," Godric responded, "and that is why we are going to get our revenge, Eric."

Arching his brow, Eric looked to him. "Revenge? Careful, you almost sound like the old Godric."

"Someone killed Nora," Godric said, his tone slightly darker than Eric had heard it in a long time. "I have no intention of letting that go."

"I spoke with Bill," Eric said, "he still has Lillith's blood. He intends to use it to walk in the day and go and see the Governor. If he has that bitch's blood then nothing will stop him. He told me to meet him at the facility tomorrow. He will give the vampires in there his blood so that they can walk during the day too."

"And do you think he can take all of those people at once?"

"With ease," Eric responded. "You weren't there when he first took the blood, Godric. He is unstoppable. All I care about is getting Pam out."

"We will," Godric promised him. "So what do we do? We meet tomorrow as soon as the sun sets? We cannot walk in the day, Eric."

"Sounds like a plan," Eric said.

"Excellent," Godric said and nodded his head.

"She isn't to blame," Eric said, closing his eyes as he remained seated on the bar stool. He looked down, struggling to think of anything else he could do. He didn't feel like he could look at Godric while saying this. "I know that."

"You need to stop taking your anger out on her," Godric warned him. "Amelia is my fiancée now, Eric. I intend to make her my wife and have her for the rest of our days. You cannot keep talking to her as you do."

"She…she isn't all that bad," Eric admitted.

Godric's lips quirked for a moment. "How difficult was that for you to say?" he wondered.

Looking to his maker, Eric remained stoic, but he did grunt once. "Pretty difficult."

"I should go back," Godric said, clasping his hand onto Eric's shoulder. "I will see you as soon as the sun sets once again."

"Yeah," Eric agreed.

Godric began to leave, but he turned his head over his shoulder and looked back to Eric, unable to stop himself from thinking how happy his progeny might be if he too found love in his life.

…

Amelia didn't like the idea of going back to the facility, but she knew it was necessary. She had told Godric that she was going with them and, while he had initially been adamant that she was to remain at home, she had reminded him that her father was there. There was something about her reminding him of her father that made him question what she was feeling. There was a chance her father would not make it out of this alive if he fell into the wrong hands. Would she feel sorrow? Would there be any hurt? Godric didn't know. He knew that she despised him, but he was still her father.

"I know where he will be," Amelia said to Godric as she stood with both him and Eric outside of the facility. The sun had set and it was pitch black, but Amelia knew it wasn't going to be simple. The facility was surrounded by armed guards as they loitered at a safe distance. "Hiding in the middle of that building."

"Can we take all of them?" Eric asked. They had heard about Bill killing the Governor, but Sarah Newlin and Martin Jones were still in that building and in charge.

"Security has been ramped up," Godric said to Eric.

"I…I need to speak with him," Amelia said to Godric, looking to him as he remained cautious about it. He didn't know what to say to her. He didn't want her going in there. "I'll be safe, Godric. Chances are that I will be safer than you. Let me try and talk to him."

"As if that would work," Eric scoffed and looked down to her as she moved her eyes to glare at him, still not entirely thrilled with the way he had spoken about her earlier. "Your daddy will never listen to you."

"Perhaps not," Amelia sniped at him, "but I can find out what the situation is with Hep V. He will talk to me. He will never speak with you."

"You are sure?" Godric asked and Eric admitted he was shocked that his maker was considering letting her go in there. "I will come as soon as I sense something is wrong."

"I can rescue myself, Godric," Amelia said, holding onto his hand and squeezing it before kissing his cheek. "Just lay low and don't get caught."

"Solid advice," Eric mumbled sarcastically.

"Or let him get caught," Amelia said to Godric as his lips quirked for a second. "It might shut him up."

Godric bent down to kiss her one final time before she turned on her heel and moved towards the building. Amelia took a deep breath as one of the guards noted her, the other following his suit as they held their guns up. Raising her hands up in surrender, Amelia moved steadily forwards.

"I need to see my father," she called out and after a moment they lowered their weapons.

She was about to breath a sigh of relief before she felt one of the guards grab hold of her arm and haul her into the facility. She struggled to keep up with his pace, almost tripping over her own feet as she was dragged through corridors until she finally came to the control room. Grunting as the guard let go of her arm, she looked into the space to see her father and Sarah Newlin in the room, both of them stood up and looking at the white room behind the glass pane, the sight of blood in the room enough to make Amelia wince.

"Sir, we found her outside. She said she had to speak with you."

"Fine," Martin said, looking to his daughter as she rubbed her arm from where the guard had gripped it.

The door shut behind her and the three of them were left in the room. Amelia bit down on her lip as Martin moved closer to her, observing the mid length spotted dress she wore. Her hair was tied up into a ponytail and she looked almost upset at the situation she was in.

"What are you doing here, Amelia?"

"I want to know what you're doing," she said to him, voice harsh.

"What I am doing?" Martin demanded from her. "I think you owe me an explanation. You helped those two fangs escape and then you ran away. And you have the audacity to come here and demand an explanation from me?"

"Isn't it obvious why I ran off?" she asked her father. "Don't be so dense."

Raising his hand, Martin was about to move his flattened palm towards his daughter, but Amelia grabbed his wrist before he could make contact. She just managed to restrain him before using all of her might to push his hand away from her.

"No," she said to him, "never again."

Martin looked at her with a glower as Sarah Newlin continued to observe the situation.

"So what are you going to do?" Amelia demanded from her father. "I know you have Hep V."

"Oh, you are going to love it," Sarah said, clapping with glee as she went to stand besides Martin. "We are going to get rid of all of those fangs once and for all. We will deal with them completely."

"How?"

"By injecting Hep V into the Tru Blood supply," Martin said and Amelia's eyes widened in horror at hearing that and Martin almost smirked at the sight. "It will kill them all off slowly and finally we will be free of their hold…except for your beloved vampire. I have plans on what I want to do to him."

"You will go nowhere near him," Amelia said, voice full of determination. "I will not let you."

"Oh, honey," Sarah said, looking at her with pity, "you are under his spell. You need to see the truth."

"She is under no spell," Martin said with a shake of his head. "She is just a slut."

"You are not going to get away with this," Amelia said and Martin chuckled as a sudden whirling sound echoed through the compound. Sarah spun around and looked at one of the many screens on the wall.

"We have company," she said, seeing Godric and Eric making their way through the facility.

"We need to get out of here," Martin said. "Sarah, we have the cure…the supply has been infected. We need to leave."

"No," Amelia snapped, moving to stand in front of the door to stop him from going. "You are going nowhere."

Martin chuckled. "As if you are going to stop us," he said and moved to grab hold of her arm. He pulled her away from the door and pushed her off to the side, pressing her front against the wall as she gasped for breath and he twisted her arm behind her arm.

"The cure," Amelia suddenly realised as she tried to fight him from her as he reached for a handcuff that Sarah was passing him. "You said that there was a cure."

Sarah chuckled again. "Of course there is a cure," she said. "And I know where it is."

Martin placed the cuff around one of Amelia's wrist and the other around a pole of a shelf as he let her go and turned on his heel.

"So you are going to leave me here?" she demanded from her father.

"Your fang will be here shortly. He can have you…for the time being."

Amelia didn't even protest as Sarah and Martin took off, closing the door behind them and leaving Amelia alone in the room. She was about to try and slip her wrist from the cuff, but she couldn't. She tugged on it and looked around for something to try and help escape. She waited patiently, hoping that Godric would turn up soon enough.

Much to her relief, he did. The door opened and she held her breath until she saw his face enter her vision. Letting go of the breath she had inhaled, she felt slightly unsteady as Godric moved towards her. Taking hold of her by the cheek, he looked to her, once again examining her for any injuries and to ensure she was well.

"I'm fine," Amelia said before he could ask. "What is going on out there?"

"We are releasing the vampires, but we cannot find your father or Sarah Newlin."

"I don't know where they went," Amelia said. "But there is a cure for Hep V, Godric. They've injected it into Tru Blood…it's been dispatched all over the country."

"We saw on our way in," Godric said and reached for the silver cup, wincing in pain as he broke it from her wrist, tossing it to the side. "But there is a cure? Where?"

"Sarah Newlin has it," Amelia said to him. "We need to find her."

Taking hold of his hand, Amelia was about to rush off, but Godric remained still. He was rooted to the floor, seemingly unable to move or walk away. Looking at him, Amelia frowned as she swore she felt him shiver in her grip.

"Godric?" she spoke his name in a soft whisper.

Looking to her, Godric spoke one name and Amelia feared the worst. "Eric."

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!


End file.
